


Curiosity

by FlyingKiki



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: BB birds that need all the love, F/M, TimRae
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-01 01:13:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21308848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingKiki/pseuds/FlyingKiki
Summary: Tim Drake, Red Robin, is naturally curious. So when the opportunity of working with and getting to know more about his brother's mysterious teammate presents itself, whatever interests there are in her seem valid. Just for notes, right?
Relationships: Red Robin/Raven, Robin/Raven, Robrae, Tim Drake & Raven, Tim Drake/Raven, TimRae - Relationship
Comments: 31
Kudos: 156





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Back to writing fics after - 8 years hiatus. 
> 
> Been obsessing over Tim and Raven lately. There are just a handful of stories on them online. Felt the need to pitch in and add to the list, hopefully create a stronger interest in the couple. 
> 
> Indulge me. Couldn’t help myself.

Tim watched her, intrigued by her silent movement around the Batcave. Her movements were graceful as she followed Bruce to the computer. She seemed calm, despite the rather ugly fight earlier. But despite her calm exterior, he could see she was on alert and slightly wary of her surroundings.

At the back of his head, Tim found the graceful sway of her movements captivating. Deadly, he reminded himself, but captivating.

Tim blinked and tried shaking his head a bit. Perhaps he hit his head too hard earlier. This was not the time to think of Raven as, well, _captivating_.

Tim had only met Raven a couple of times. The Titans were Dick’s team and had their own missions to run. They were called in just a handful of times in the past for some overly complicated-end-of-the-world type of missions that required every super to assist the Justice League. She kept mostly to herself and the rest of the Titans at most occasions. He knew who she was though and what she was capable of – he read her file years ago. Tim had to admit that despite having read everything about her, it still felt like she was a mystery to him (hence, _captivating_). Now that she was here in the Batcave on her own, without the rest of the Titans, his curiosity in piqued. And true to his form, Tim always wanted to learn about new things.

As he watched Raven throw an amused smile at Bruce over her shoulder, he briefly wondered if everything he read and heard about her was true. She didn’t look all too deadly and stoic and, err, gloomy half-demon (as Gar would put it). Raven made a face, ran her hand through her purple hair.

“Fuck,” Raven breathed, her voice barely above a whisper but it carried through the cave.

Tim raised an eyebrow, curious. It wasn’t everyday he’d hear her curse.

Raven shrugged, clucking her tongue and it seemed like she was exasperated. Cocking her hip to the side and resting her right hand on it, she used her other free hand to wave it at the huge computer screen in a dismissive motion.

“We should be done with the sweep and expulsion of all demons within a week or two,” she said briefly throwing a look at Tim over her shoulder. She looked up at Batman, and frowned. “Sorry, I can’t run purging sessions nightly, that takes too much out of me. We need to locate where the cult might summon some demons next and it might take some time,”

“There’s a cult?” Tim asked.

Raven sent him a wry smile, almost apologetic. “There’s a wanna-be Church of Trigon cult here. They’re trying to summon Trigon,”

Tim looked alarmed.

“My father is gone, don’t worry. We destroyed him six years ago. What they’re unwittingly summoning are his offspring from his dimension,” Raven supplied.

“So,” Tim began, stepping up next to Bruce and looking at Raven curiously. “Your…”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Brothers,” She sighed. “Unfortunately.”

“We’ll keep track of the cult’s movements in Gotham so we can plan our attacks ahead. You can also prepare whatever is necessary to stop them from opening any other portals to their dimension,” said Bruce, his eyes never leaving Raven as he spoke. “The cult is not a major threat to Gotham, as they appear to not really know what they are doing, but the demons they bring in cause a lot of damage and have hurt civilians. This needs to stop,”

Raven nodded. “Agreed.” She looked around the massive Batcave and she eyed caped heroes curiously. “Dick said I could stay here while we work on this case?”

Out of nowhere, Alfred appeared, standing over them by the second floor landing of the Batcave. He offered Raven a small. “Master Dick has requested a room for you, Miss Raven. It’s wonderful to see you again,” Al offered.

Raven smiled, looking up at Alfred. “Thank you, Alfred,”

Bruce nodded, pulling off his cowl and sighed. “Perhaps we should call it a night,” he began. He threw Raven a look that suspiciously looked grateful – a rare site. “Thank you for helping us,”

Raven offered him a crooked smile. “Always glad to get into a fight with my family,” she shrugged.

After bidding everyone a good night (good morning? It was 3 am), she flew up to Alfred and the two disappeared out of the cave, murmuring between themselves.

Tim heard a soft chuckle through the hallway Raven and Alfred just disappeared through.

Tim tilted his head to the right and eyed the empty doorway curiously faintly wonder how interesting it would be to work with Raven for the next couple of days. It would always be interesting to know more of her — and add to her file, of course. Notes, Tim reminded himself. Notes.

Oh, boy.


	2. Chapter 2

_Raven had shitty family members,_ Tim noted. Not that it needed to go into his files on her because they already established that with her father, but _seriously_. Her demonic brothers were assholes, to say the least. He grunted as he swung his staff with all his bodyweight into the demon’s back, saving Batman from loosing an arm. _But, fuck, man_.

Basically, this is what’s happening:

Some cult, an offshoot of the Church of Trigon, has made its way into Gotham. For the past few days, they’ve been haphazardly opening portals and luring in demons into the city. They were under the belief a new lord of the underworld would bless them. Unfortunately, none of the demons that came into the world were demon lords – just angry demons out for some blood.

And, as it later turned out, after a half-sibling who killed their father.

Raven faintly wondered where she got her luck. All she wanted was to have some peace and quiet for the week – things were going surprisingly well in Jump. But no, some assholes had to play church and worship demons. _What the fuck_. She grunted and blocked an attack from one of the more gnarly demons, and flipped over it. She sent a ball of black energy to its back just as it was about to turn to her, and she watched as the demon skidded across the ground.

Raven briefly looked over her shoulder, making sure Red Robin and Batman were still alive somewhere in the forest clearing. Good, they still were. She faintly wondered if she should take them out for dinner as a peace offering for having to deal with her shitty family. Raven watched them struggle with a bigger demon – did these demons grow over the past few days? She furrowed her brows. Grunting, she turned back to the demon she was fighting and frowned.

“Sister,” red eyes glowed and the demons arms twitched, as it stood in front of her. The demon growled, fangs baring and it looked ready to pounce again.

“I hate my family,” Raven breathed, hands glowing and with a chant let go of a large blast of black energy.

“You killed father,”

Raven’s eyes widened as she listened to the first coherent sentence from the demon. They never really said anything, aside from sister. This was a first.

The demon growled, noting her opening, and pounced Raven. Fangs bared and claws sharp, it made a swipe at the smaller girl.

Raven grunted as she barely dodged the attack. She felt hot claws dig into her back and blood trickle down her side. She inhaled sharply as searing pain flashed through her body and she stumbled away from another attack. This was not good.

“Die,” the demon growled and started to run towards her.

“**Raven**!”

She faintly heard Tim in the background but her eyes were focused on the demon that was charging towards her. This whole situation was pissing her off. This stupid cult should have never started trying to bring demons into the world. Her brothers should just fuck off. And if she got her hands on one of the cult members, she’d –

The demon yelped as Raven’s soul self rose from her body. Her energy pulsed, anger and frustration running through her system. Her demon brothers should not be here. They should be no where civilians. She growled as her eyes glowed red, and her soul rose higher. Inky tendrils flooded the clearing, crawling over the floor and towards the two demons who were frozen to the stop.

Tim’s eyed widened as he watched Raven turn into her soul self. She rose off the ground, black energy pulsing through the air and black tentacles slithering across the floor towards the two demons. He inhaled sharply as her red eyes glowed, her face hooded and a shadow if a raven looming over her. He had never seen Raven use this kind of power before in battle, his heart hammered in his chest as a black tendril slithered just past his boots and towards the demon he and Batman were fighting earlier.

“Don’t come back,” Raven growled and with pulse of black energy, the demons were engulfed in the black tendrils. There were loud howls of pain and the tendrils crushed the demons into the ground. Black dust billowed in the air before slowly settling on the ground. The black tendrils slithered on the ground for a moment, before retreating back into Raven’s cape. Nothing was left of the demons.

“Raven,” Batman stepped next to Tim, watching as Raven lingered in the air. Her eyes continued to glow red as she stared at the pentagram on the forest floor. She turned to Batman, red eyes furrowed.

“They’re gone,” Batman supplied, waiting on guard for Raven’s next move.

Red eyes blinked and they flashed white. Familiar large purple-blue eyes stared down at Red Robin and Batman and she let out a soft gasp. The black energy around her disappeared and she landed unsteadily on her feet. She sent them an apologetic look.

“Sorry you had to see that,” she mumbled. She glanced at the pentagram before adjusting the hood over her head.

Batman nodded, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the scene. The cult members that summoned the demons were long gone after making a run for it during the battle. His frown deepened. This cat and mouse chase had to stop soon.

“You’re bleeding,” announced Red Robin, looking at the blossoming red patch over Raven’s right shoulder.

She forgot about that. Drawing her left hand underneath her cloak, Raven pressed her hand against the torn flesh. She winced. This might take a while to heal. “It’ll heal,” she said.

Tim frowned. He knew about her healing abilities, but he also knew that the display of massive amounts of energy can slow down her healing process. “Let’s go back to the cave,” he said. “Ride the Batmobile with us,”

Raven made a face. “I’ll fly,” she said and began levitating.

Batman frowned. “You lost blood and your energy is low. Better just ride with us,”

She waved them off and spun on her heels. Like hell was she going to ride a car in a shape of a bat. She knew they’d drive like Dick – like lunatics. “See you at the cave,” and without waiting for their reply, she flew off.

Batman frowned. “Stubborn,” he clicked his tongue.

Tim chuckled. “Seems pretty familiar,”

They arrived at the Batcave in record time and found Alfred making his way down into the med bay of the cave with some medical supplies and a steaming cup of tea. Alfred stopped and watched his two charges jump out of the Batmobile and remove their cowls. “Miss Raven is in the med bay. She arrived a few moments ago and we’ve been working on cleaning her wounds. Some of the cuts ran in deeper than expected,” he supplied as the trio walked towards the med bay.

Tim nodded, long black hair falling into his eyes. Pushing it back, he offered Alfred a soft smile. “Thanks, Al,”

Raven looked up from tending to her wounds. She had peeled off the top of her uniform, leaving her in a utilitarian black sports bra. Her bloodied cloak hung over the end of the bed she sat on. A bloodied sterile gauze was in her left hand, fresh from wiping away some of the blood from the back of her shoulder. “Hey,”

Bruce noticed the bloodied gauze. “Are you alright?”

Raven shrugged. “I’ve had worse,” she said. She thanked Alfred when he set new supplies next to her. “My family doesn’t like me all to much. I can pretty much say the feeling is mutual,”

“Do you think they are after you?” Bruce asked. “The demon you fought looked keen in killing you,”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Most people, and metas, would like to see me gone once they know who and what I am,” she sent a knowing smirk at Bruce, remembering the first time she met the Justice League and asked for help. It wasn’t a warm welcome, to say the least. She shook her head when Bruce continued to stare at her. “Honestly, no. I don’t think so. I’m not really very welcome in the family after we killed Trigon. We’re just dealing with a ragtag team of cult members and blood thirsty demons who find themselves on earth for the first time with no idea what to do expect kill,”

Bruce nodded. He sighed and pushed himself away from the medical cabinet he was leaning against. “Okay,” he began. “We’ll keep our ears close to the ground and listen for any new activities. I’ll coordinate with Oracle and see what we can do,” he said and began making his way out of the med bay. “Rest and get your energy back,”

“Understood,” replied Raven, watching Batman leave.

“Need help?”

Purple eyes slid over to Tim, her stare heavy and calculating. Raven reminded Tim a lot of Bruce, he could barely read her emotions. He eyed the bloodied gauze in her hand and took a small step forward, faintly wondering if he was stepping over boundaries. She was after all, half naked and they barely knew each other. _Emphasis on the half-naked._

Raven watched Tim take another step forward, a tentative smile playing on his lips. She could feel several emotions coming off of him – concern, interest, curiosity, attraction. Raven blinked. Tim was so different from all the other Robin’s she met. Dick was a mix of seriousness with a strong intent of proving himself, he was strong willed, guarded, and such a hardheaded asshole sometimes; Jason was a wild mix of chaos and charm, and Damian was, well, Damian. The young boy was practically a storm of emotions. But Tim, Tim of all the Robins was a sea of calm in all of the chaos that goes around them – despite of the amount of caffeine he kept on drinking. She knew that he was the smartest of the Robins; an excellent strategist – she could practically feel how fast his brain works. Yet, he was so different from all the wildly active Robins she knew in her life. This intrigued Raven.

She titled her head and offered Tim a small smile. “Okay,”

Tim paused briefly, surprised that she would let him help her. Nodding, he stepped behind her on the med table and took a look at the three wounds that ran along her shoulder blades. He whistled at the sight of the gaping wounds. “Yikes,” Tim made a face. “Remind me to never get on the bad side of your family,”

Raven snorted.

With nimble fingers, he finished cleaning the wounds and set out to stitch them closed. He noted a few other scars that ran down her back and sides and disappeared into her uniform. He faintly wondered where they were from and what stories they told. These were not in her medical files. He always taught she could just heal herself completely.

“Sometimes, when I’m too tired, my healing process is slower than normal. Sometimes some scars stay,” said Raven suddenly, tilting her head just a little bit so she could see Tim over her shoulder.

Tim paused, blue eyes widening in surprise as they connected with amused purple eyes. His needle hovered close to her skin. “Huh? I –”

Using her good hand, she tapped the side of her head. “You think pretty loudly,” she quirked her lips. “Also, empath.”

“Oh!” Cheeks warmed, blue eyes averted from her amused purple ones and Tim focused on closing the wound on her shoulder. “Sorry,”

Raven shrugged, a small amused smile playing on her lips. “It’s okay,”

Tim concentrated on finishing his patch up job, trying to slow his thoughts down. After a few more moments of silence and after finally, finally, taping the last gauze over the wound, Tim was done. “I’m sure Cyborg does a better job at the tower,” he said after stepping away from the bed.

Raven looked at her shoulder briefly and hummed softly. Cyborg _did_ a better job, but Tim didn’t need to know that. She looked up at Tim and tilted her head. “Thanks for the help,” she said and hopped off the table. She looked at what remained of her torn leotard and wondered if it was even worth trying to slip back on. She let out an exasperated sigh. Just her luck.

Tim watched Raven struggle to put her torn uniform back on. He averted his eyes briefly when he caught sight of her sports bra. _Also, abs!_

“Oh, wait. Here,” he said trying to hide his flustered voice and quickly turned on his heels, rummaging through one of the medical cabinets. Making a triumphant sound at the back of his throat, Tim turned around and grinned, offering Raven a grey t-shirt.

“I keep this here for emergencies,” he said as Raven took the offered shirt.

Raven chuckled softly and slipped on the oversized Superman shirt on her. She practically disappeared into the shirt as it hung over her body and fell mid-thigh. It was nice and soft, very comfortable. She looked at the worn Superman logo and she lifted an eyebrow at Tim. “Nice merch,”

Tim laughed, desperately trying to ignore how _cute_ (?!?!) Raven looked in his shirt – _she looked so small!_ “We taught it’d be nice to annoy Bruce once in a while,” he said. Blue eyes twinkled. “Jason has a full wardrobe and, uh, boxers,”

Raven rolled her eyes, amused still. “Of course he does,” her lips quirked a bit in a little smile. She picked up her torn robe and nodded at Tim. “Thanks for the help, Tim. I’m going to rest now,”

“No problem. Good night, Raven,” Tim watched as Raven walked out of the med bay, movements slow and graceful. As he watched her, he quickly squashed down any thoughts of how good she looked in his shirt. Tim swallowed and looked away, instead focused on putting away all medical equipment they just used. _Notes, Tim, notes. Raven’s healing process is slower when she is drained. May leave scaring when healing slows down. Scars dip down the small of her back and tiny waist – oh god._

“Good night, Tim,”

Tim paused from returning the antiseptic and saw Raven pause briefly at the doorway and glance at him briefly before slipping through it. Tim blinked.

_So much for taking notes, Tim._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> our bbs bird being bb birds

Despite her calm (she was calm, not stoic and emotionless as most would describe her, Tim realized), Raven would show small bursts of emotions. Tim noted she was generous when showing her emotions when she wanted to. It was _intriguing _to watch her emotions on free display whenever she’d allow them.

_For notes, of course. Raven had free emotions, contrary to her old report. Update report. Good job, Tim. _

Mildly amused, Tim watched Raven bounce on her heels lightly, impatiently waiting for her Dirty Chai at a local Starbucks. It surprised him how normal (also, _pretty) _she could look in everyday wear (short flowing black dress with cat faces). As her bare back turned to him while she looked at the pastry display, Tim caught himself in brief awe at how the small woman next to him could be so, well, _deadly. _

“Tim?”

He blinked as purple eyes stared up at him with an amused glint. Smoothly hiding the fact he spaced out, Tim stuffed his hands into his jeans and regained his composure. “Yeah?”

Raven’s lips twitched as she watched him. “I was asking if you wanted to share a lemon muffin?”

Worthy to note, Raven had a sweet tooth. _Ah, notes._

“Sure,” he shrugged and watched her return to the cashier to pay for the muffin while he waited for their drinks at the pick up counter.

“Dirty Chai and Americano for Tim!”

Tim thanked the barista, taking the two hot drinks from the counter. Turning around, he caught sight of Raven by the door, paper bag with a lemon muffin in hand. She opened the door for them, engulfing them both in a gust of warm Gotham spring air.

“Thanks,” said Raven, while taking her drink from Tim. They were headed to a nearby park, since it seemed like a good idea that morning over breakfast. Raven had seen very little of Gotham still and the demon threats had slowed down as the week progressed.

“So,” breathed Tim with an amused lilt in his voice as they settled down in one of the park benches in Gotham Central Park. “Verdict?”

Raven snorted and ignored Tim’s inquiry. She gave the park a quick onceover – for a city with a reputation of being dark and gloomy, the park seemed fit into the city’s standard color tones quite well. Trees and flowers had begun blooming in tones of deep green, red, purple, and lavender. Bushes held darker shades of green, and the little pond had darker waters. “Color palette seems pretty much on point,” she said.

Tim laughed and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Yeah,” he looked around the park, which was still pretty much empty at an early afternoon. “These basically are Gotham’s standard colors,”

Raven nodded and busied herself in splitting the lemon muffin in two. She handed him the other half of the muffin and took a bite from hers. “I like it,”

Tim watched her, curious. “The muffin?”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Gotham,”

“Ah,” Tim watched her for a moment, taking in how surprisingly relaxed she looked. He took a sip from his coffee as he tried to find the right words to say next.

“This is my first time around Gotham,” Raven looked at him. She absently played with the rim of her chai tea. “Richard has never really taken us around for proper sightseeing,”

“But you see plenty at patrols,” Tim took the opportunity to tease. He laughed when he watched her roll her eyes in slight annoyance and her nose scrunched up. _Cute. _Tim blinked and mentally backpedaled, pulling his body slightly away from her. _What? _

Raven rolled her eyes, ignoring Tim’s slight panic. “That doesn’t count,”

Tim composed himself and took a bite of the lemon muffin. “We can go around a bit more later, if you want,”

Raven turned to him, watching him carefully. “You wouldn’t mind?” she played with the rim of her chai tea again.

Tim smiled at her. “Nah,” He waived his coffee cup dismissively, nearly spilling some coffee on himself. “Besides, the company isn’t so bad,”

_SERIOUSLY?! _Tim felt like cringing.

Raven tilted her head and watched Tim for a second. An eyebrow was raised but there was an amused glint look in her eyes as her lips quirked. _Who ever said that Raven was stoic obviously did not know her._ Tim felt his lips twitch in amusement as they entered what seemed as a stare down. He hoped Raven did not notice his slight panic.

Raven let out a soft huff and shook her head. “Fine,”

They fell into companionable silence as they finished their drinks and muffin halves. A small smile played on Raven’s lips as she watched everything happen around them at the park. While keeping her eyes trained at a couple of squirrels scurry around the bottom of a tree, she could see Tim out of the corner of her eye.

She would be lying if she wouldn’t admit that Tim was nice company – he knew how to hold engaging and intelligent conversations, he wasn’t as of a bossy mother hen as Richard (sorry, Richard), and he was serious and fun where needed to be. Plus, he was good looking – which, while Raven will never openly admit, was always a plus in her book. Jynx and Karen will have a heart attack when they hear this over margaritas.

Also, she wasn’t blind. It was surprising to _feel _his waves of emotions at times. And while she was sure that Tim was the Robin with a calm sense of emotions, she was surprised (and, well, flustered) at the push of emotions from him. It wasn’t her fault really – he really did think _and_ _feel _quite loudly. _Too smart, way too much overthinking for his own good. _Raven glanced at him briefly before turning back to the squirrels. Not that she also minded the attention, because a part of her, the Raven dressed in deep red robes seemed to enjoy it -- and well, she did too. She chalked up the attention to his interest of learning new things – and probably because he was one of the nicer Robins.

“So there’s a bookstore around the corner,” said Tim, pointing in the direction of the store with his half-empty coffee cup. “Or we can check out this antique store, I think you might like,”

“What makes you think I’d like antiques?”

Raven turned to him fully again, her head titled and a delicate eyebrow raised. Tim faltered, eyes widening and completely caught off guard by the question. He could see she was amused by the now familiar way she quirked her lips and how she slightly narrowed her eyes. _She was teasing._

_Raven liked to tease. And it was adorable. _Tim blinked. _Oh, god._

Tim swallowed and felt a blush creep on his cheeks. “Ugh,” Tim scrambled for the right thing to say, while feeling slightly embarrassed by being caught off guard by her. _How did she do this? _

Raven rolled her eyes at him. She stood up, dropped her empty Starbucks cup and napkin into the trash bin next to the bench. “C’mon, where is this store?”

Tim scrambled to stand up next to her, pleased with how things were turning out. Dropping his cup and napkin into the trash bin as well, he turned to her. “You DO like antiques,”

They began walking down a path in the park that lead to the north exit. Raven shrugged absently, while looking around the path they were walking along. “I like a finding knickknacks,” she sent him a brief glance. “Also, you never know when you might find a cursed item,”

Tim’s brows furrowed, alarmed. “Cursed?!”

“You never know,”

Unfortunately, (or fortunately) they didn’t end up finding any cursed items. They did however find an old Batman action figure, which Tim had bought for her. (“Why would I want THAT?” Raven looked at the toy Batman in disdain, his plastic cape had a few chew marks on them – whether they were human or not, she wasn’t all too sure.)

They tried to drop by the bookstore Tim mentioned earlier, but when they arrived it was already closed. He noted that she looked a tiny bit disappointed as she peered in through the window, curiously taking in some of the books on display. “We can come back some other time,” suggested Tim.

“Yeah, okay,” Raven nodded and tucked the chewed up Batman doll under her arm.

“Dinner?” Tim suggested, tilting his head towards the direction where ever dinner was. It was nearing dinnertime; Raven was surprised how fast time went by. “There’s a diner a couple of blocks away, we can walk there, if you like. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid,” supplied Tim, again vaguely motioning towards a general direction to the left.

“Lead the way,”

“So, favorite book?” Tim asked casually, stuffing both of his hands into his jeans and briefly glancing down at Raven as they were walking towards the dinner. _Was she really that short? _Tim blinked at the thought.

“Oh,” Raven breathed. She looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to think of a book that would top the list. “That’s hard,” she mumbled. The sun was slowly setting, casting a soft orange glow over Gotham – a nice contrast to the dark tones the city always held.

“Charlotte’s Web,” she finally answered after a few more moments of thinking.

They stopped at a stoplight and Tim looked at her with mild surprise. He was expecting some ancient literary masterpiece or tome. “The children’s book?” he asked, while they were waiting for the light to turn green.

“Well, it’s an adult-appropriate book,” replied Raven. She rolled her eyes when she still felt Tim’s curiosity. “It was one of the very first books I got as a child from my mother,”

“Oh,” Tim stared at her, as she offered him an unreadable expression. He knew her history well – and what happened to her mother. Everything was in her file. It felt like they were crossing a delicate subject.

The light turned green, and people around them started to cross the street. Raven’s eyes slid back towards across the street and began walking. Tim quickly followed her, stepping up next to her.

“It’s been a long time since I read that book,” Tim finally said.

“It’s a really nice book,” Raven nodded. “When I first _moved _here, a lot of the themes in the book made so much sense.”

“Do you still have a copy of the book?” asked Tim curiously. He silently pointed towards the entrance of an old diner, signaling that they were near.

Raven shook her head. “No. I lost everything when Azarath was destroyed,”

Tim felt like dick to have even asked. Of course she didn’t have a copy. Everything she owned was gone because of the asshole of a father she had. “Right, sorry,” he mumbled. They reached the diner and he opened the door for them.

“It’s alright,” Raven shot him an assuring crooked smile over her shoulder as they both stepped through the doors. She surveyed the diner – it looked like a pretty standard old diner with booths and old tables that probably had seen better days. With the early hour of dinner, there were still just a few dinners around.

“Here,” Tim placed his hand on her back and guided her towards one of the booths in the back. He forgot her dress was backless and was surprised to feel smooth warm skin under his hands. He felt the movement of her muscles as they moved down the rows of booths. He fought whatever feelings that came to mind – _thinking how nice the touch felt. _Because it did. It felt nice. _Comfortably nice. _It took a lot of will power not to fan is entire hand over the small of her back.

Tim dropped his hand, finally, _finally, _once they reached one of the booths in the back. While trying desperately to settle his emotions, he grinned at Raven as she surveyed the diner. “Verdict?”

Raven propped her other elbow on the table, cradling her chin in her open hand. She glanced around before looking at Tim. “Why do I feel like we stepped into a murder mystery set? And it was one of the waitresses who committed the crime?”

Tim grinned, leaned back into the lumpy booth and stretched his legs under the table. He accidentally hit one of her legs. She frowned and nudged his leg, but barely budged. He grinned at her annoyed look. “It’s nice, right?” he said, ignoring another shove from her as his feet crowded her space.

“Hi, Tim!” One of the elderly waitresses came up to their table carrying two menus. Smiling brightly at Tim, she handed the menus over to them.

“Hey, Sue,”

“I’ll leave the menus here for a bit and I’ll be back when you two cuties are ready to order,” the woman nodded, smiled brightly and quickly headed back to the main counter.

“Come here often?” Raven asked, with a slightly amused raise of an eyebrow.

Tim laughed sheepishly and nodded, absently rifling through the menu that never had seen any changes in recent years. It was a menu he memorized by heart. “Kind of,” he replied. “I used to come here often after school when I was a kid. Brought Bruce here a handful of times, so people kind of remember me because of Bruce – it’s hard not to not get recognized when you’re with Bruce,”

“Or when you’re Bruce Wayne’s adopted son it seems,” Raven mused, briefly looking to the side of the diner where a few curious eyes looked their way.

Tim made a face. “Let’s just order,”

Raven shook her head and turned to the menu. Her eyes widened when she saw the number of options. “Do you know what you want?”

“There are some pretty good options,” Time said. He gave watched as Raven’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration, trying to get through the menu. “Here, I’ll order for us. I promise it’ll be good,” he said, sliding his hand over the table and holding her menu, effectively making her stop reading it as if it were a novel. With his free hand he waived Sue over and he smiled brightly at the woman.

“You know what you guys want?”

Tim nodded. “Yeah,” he said while closing his menu. “Could we get two cheeseburgers, with a side of pickles. And chili cheese fries to share?” His eyes slid over a bewildered Raven. “And one chocolate milkshake, a cup of coffee, and save us a slice of pumpkin pie for later,”

“You eat trash,” Raven frowned after Sue had left them. “Alfred will not be pleased,”

Tim tutted. “What Alfred doesn’t know, won’t hurt him,”

When their meal arrived, Raven had to agree it was a good cheeseburger. Where she complained that these were bad calories, he quickly retorted that these were calories that they could easily burn during that evening’s patrol. Raven nudged his foot in annoyance.

It was evening when they finally left the dinner and made it back to the spot near the park where Tim parked his car earlier that afternoon. As Tim was turning on the engine of his car, he briefly glanced at Raven as she stared out the window with the chewed up Batman action figure in her lap. “You had a good time?”

“Clogging my arteries?” she asked.

Tim tipped his head in her direction and laughed softly, pulling out of the parking lot. “Yeah,”

Raven nodded and turned back to the window. “Yeah, it was nice,” she paused. “Thanks,”

They fell into comfortable silence as Tim drove them back to the manor. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Raven just stare silently out of the car window. Her gaze seemed a little distant as she watched the scenery pass by. It amazed him how easily Raven could fall in and out of conversations and how _giving _she was of her attention and time. The Titans were lucky to have Raven on their team and as their friend.

The longer he spent time with her, Tim had to agree that Raven truly was _captivating. _He was curious what else he could discover from her. _For notes, of course. _


	4. Chapter 4

It happened so quickly, Raven wasn’t sure where the fire started or where it ended. _It was just everywhere. _It was scalding hot – consuming her whole. She felt it crawl painfully into her body – burning her bones and just searing her spirit. She felt it _burn _its way into her soul.

She felt her body being painfully pressed deeper into hot marble, the pentagram underneath her burning into her back. She could smell the familiar stench of burning flesh – her flesh. It burned through her uniform and branded her. She knew the brand inside the pentagram – the rune painfully familiar. It pulsed and the heat consumed her body whole.

The runes of Scath burned painfully into her back.

Panic bubbled over and she tried to scream. _Scath. No! _

The heat of the flames burned her throat and her whole world seemed to press down on her. She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t scream. It felt like something was hold her throat tightly, claws digging into her neck. Pain ripped through her body as the heat burned through her and constricted her throat. She could barely see through the inferno.

She could hear chanting over the roar of flames and she struggled to find where it was coming from. She felt fear rip through her body, as the heat intensified. _She needed to get out of here – where was here? _She felt her body being pressed into the hot marble further and she wanted to scream.

“_Arella,” _

“**NO!” **Raven woke up with a loud gasp, jerking awake painfully and she struggled to kick away her blanket in her haze of confusion. She sat up, gasping loudly and she quickly surveyed the room with wide, panicked eyes. Pale fingers curled into her bedsheets Raven tried to regain her footing as she realized she was at Wayne Manor.

_Okay. Good._

Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face, and Raven let out a long shaky breath. She was at Wanye Manor, she reminded herself again. Her heart still beat frantically in her chest and she desperately tried to calm herself.

She stumbled out of her ridiculously comfortable bed and her unsteady stance was a welcome grounding from her dream. Raven breathed heavily and in a burst of panic, she slid her hands up and down her back. _No marks. No Scath._

“Damn it,” Raven breathed loudly, closing her eyes and letting her hands drop to her sides. This was the first dream in the _longest _time since her 18th birthday so many years ago when they fought her father. Everything felt eerily familiar. _Damn this stupid cult._

She needed to clear her head. Sleep wasn’t an option right now. Glancing at the clock – 3:11 a.m., Raven sighed and headed towards her door. She needed to do something – or else she’d combust. Quietly, she opened the door and silently padded through the dark hallway. Her bare feet sank into the plush carpet she felt comforting. _She was here, walking through Wayne Manor at 3 in the morning, and she was not on some ceremonial table being sacrificed to her father. _

Raven realized she had entered the Wayne Library when her feet touched the cold wooden floor. The room was chilly, significantly colder in the sporadic Spring evening/dawn weather. Raven learned it was raining outside when she heard the rain through the large floor to ceiling windows of the library. A cold draft slipped up her bare legs and Raven shivered slightly. Of course the weather had to match her nightmare. Taking a night flight was out of the options.

The Wayne Library was pitch dark, save for whatever moonlight and lightning that filtered through the window. The library was Raven’s favorite place, offering books all of the genres, languages, age periods, and rare books Raven wanted. She faintly wondered if Bruce would mind her visiting on occasion just so she could use the library (and get away from Gar) once her mission was over. She silently padded through the library, feeling small against the huge bookshelves that loomed over her.

Her heart was still beating frantically as she reached one of the reading corners she and Tim had occupied that evening. Books on demonology were scattered on the reading table. She sighed softly and decided that she might as well spend her time here for a bit, just to settle her emotions. As she passed the table, she spotted a grey Gotham University hoodie hanging precariously from one of the chairs. _Probably Tim’s. _

She absently picked up the hoodie and slipped it over her head. It was still cold at the library and she regretted leaving her room in just a pair of shorts and a flimsy tank top. The hoodie was insanely comfortable as it settled over her body, dropping down to her thighs and over her hands. She was enveloped in the familiar scent of sandalwood and cinnamon. She breathed in deeply, feeling her insides warm and she calmed down significantly.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she sat down on one of the couches. She sighed softly, sinking into the comfortable leather and tucked her legs underneath her. Dropping her head against the armrest, she blankly stared at the table in front of her.

_What did those dreams mean?_ Her fingers on her right hand absently fiddled with a loose strand on Tim’s sweater. She swallowed, as the flames jumped back into her memory.

She heard her mother’s name being called over the flames.A chilling thought slipped through her body, and she felt her stomach roll. That was how her mother was given to Trigon – how the cult sacrificed her to her father. She hugged herself tighter and thought of her mother and what a horrible, painful experience that was.

A soft sob escaped her lips and she buried herself into the soft cushions of the couch. Her mother should have never gone through that horrible ordeal. _Never._

_The cult will pay._

_*_

“Raven?”

Raven inhaled sharply and her eyes flew open quickly, her senses on high alert and her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Her right hand glowed in self-defense, ready to attack. She scrambled into a sitting position, her neck hurting from having fallen asleep on the couch. Dawn broke through the windows, illuminating the library. She quickly realized she had fallen asleep at some point after absently trying to read a magazine (_Home Gardening) _to settle her mind.

“Why are you sleeping in the library?”

Raven looked up at Bruce, as he stood a safe distance away from her by the reading table. He knew better than to try to wake her through contact. She sighed softly, hear head throbbing slightly from the lack of sleep. She must have slept for an hour. She ran her hand over her face, trying to push away any last remnants of sleep – no point of trying to catch some sleep now.

“Sorry,” she whispered, sitting up on the couch and dropping her bare feet on the floor. She looked up at Bruce as he returned her gaze with a calculating look. “Couldn’t sleep last night,”

“You didn’t look very comfortable when I came in and saw you,” Bruce noted.

Raven titled her head as she looked up at the older Wayne. “Nightmare,”

Bruce’s brows furrowed. “Nightmare?”

Raven contemplated how much she should tell the man or if it was even important to do so. “My dreams about my father aren’t really pleasant,” she mused, a wry smile playing on her lips.

“Should we be worried about your nightmare?”

Raven shook her head. Her toes absently curled under her as she silently thought about it. _Was it a warning? _“No, not really,” she said.

They stared at each other for a moment before Bruce nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Just let us know if anything changes,”

“I will,”

Bruce was about to leave, when he stopped himself and turned back to the curious Raven. “We, I, appreciate your help,” he said carefully. Bruce titled his head a tiny bit in her direction. “I know this whole situation can be unsettling. I appreciate you coming here and helping us address the current situation with the cult.”

Raven offered him a wry smile. “Like I said, always a pleasure to fight family,”

Bruce gave her a small smile. “The Titans are very lucky to have you on the team,”

It was odd to have a light moment with Bruce or Batman. For the most part of the week, they only talked about work. Raven did notice how much of a father Bruce could be (despite the obvious fact that he had all his children running around in leotards and fighting crime at a very young age – not very stellar parenting skills right there), but she did notice that Bruce cared – in his own little ways. He seemed just a tiny bit different from the Batman that she met when she was a child, begging for help from the Justice League. Serious AF still, but kinder a few notches.

“Thanks,” Raven nodded, feeling just a little calmer now.

“Alfred will have breakfast ready soon, you should join us whenever you are ready,” Bruce said as he was about to leave her.

Raven mumbled her thanks and watched the man leave. “Bruce?”

He paused by the doors of the library and he turned to her, eyeing her quizzically. “Hmm?”

Raven’s lips quirked just a tiny bit. “Thank you,” They stared at each other for a brief second before her lips lifted into an amused smile. “Also, nice pajamas,”

Bruce let out a low chuckle and it seemed like he rolled his eyes in exasperation. He looked down at the comfortable black shirt (which probably cost more than her monthly paycheck) and grey sweatpants with tiny little Superman logos dotted all over. “These are a gift from Jason,”

Raven titled her head, clearly amused. “Of course they are,”

“See you at breakfast, Raven,”

She nodded and watched the man leave. She felt slightly relieved that he didn’t bother to probe her further about her nightmare. As she stood up, she decided that it was just that – a nightmare. Nothing more for them to read into.

Raven slowly left the library and set out to follow Bruce for breakfast. It was a Sunday which explained why Bruce was walking around in Superman pajama pants and not his normal business suit in the morning. It still felt slightly surreal to Raven to see Batman so, well, human.

“Good morning, Miss Raven,” Alfred greeted her as she stepped into the dining room.

“Good morning, Alfred,” Raven offered a small smile at Alfred before silently shuffling towards her seat at the table. She nodded at Bruce as she approached the table and absently took in the beautiful spread of fruits and breakfast treats on the table. She silently wished they had an Alfred back at the Tower (though, she did love Victor and his pancakes and waffles mornings).

Tim walked into the room, stifling a small yawn. “Morning,” he mumbled, still sleepy from a long night of patrolling and chasing demons. He felt more aware, and significantly more awake, when he watched Raven pull her chair out. She looked incredibly small today, in the oversized hoodie that spilled over her hands as she held onto the chair in front of her. Tim knew that it was horrible bad manners to stare but for the past week of being with Raven, it was a common occurrence of his now – he couldn’t help it.

“Good morning,” Raven turned to him, bed hair still evident. He could see the print _Gotham University _on the front of the hoodie and felt his insides warm unexpectedly. _That was his hoodie._

“Good morning, Raven,” Tim made his way to the table, still watching her and taking in how the hoodie looked on her. He briefly caught sight of her bare legs and feet, and he was glad the table obscured most of the view now. _Damn did she look cute in his hoodie. _Tim tried to settle his emotions because this was definitely not how he should be thinking about his brother’s teammate. Especially while she was here for work on a mission trying to stop a cult dedicated to her father – _looking adorable in his wretched too-big-hoodie looking like it was the only thing she was wearing right now and they, they… – oh, god, his clothes looked so good on her. Gah. TIM JUST STOP. _He should really stop hanging out with Jason.

Dick was going to kill him. Or Raven – whoever came first once they learned how he thought about the deadly female Titan. _Remember, deadly. Just notes – update her files, that’s it. _

He downed half of his coffee in one go, hoping he’d preoccupy his mind with scalding coffee and potentially just drown himself with it. Both seemed to work.

Raven looked at Tim curiously feeling his soft push of emotions against her own. She noticed his curiosity and intrigue – laced with attraction again. She caught his eye briefly and she quirked her lips just a little bit. These Robins were curious little birds and she felt warm inside.

“Pardon me for saying, Miss Raven,” Alfred caught everyone’s attention at the table as he appeared next to Raven with a pair of fluffy white house slippers and gently dropped them next to her chair. “The next time you decide to fall asleep in the library, you can get some spare blankets in the storage room down the hall. The library can get really chilly at night,”

Raven colored and she shuffled her feet to slip into the offered house slippers. “I’m sorry, Alfred, for the trouble,”

The old man smiled kindly. “No trouble at all,”

Tim eyed her curiously. “You slept in the library?” His eyebrows furrowed. “But we decided to end research last night when said you were tired,”

“When you fell asleep at the table,” Raven corrected. She rolled her eyes, amused and took a sip of her tea. “It’s nothing. Just had a bad dream, woke up, and ended up in the library,”

“Bad dream?”

Raven shrugged her shoulder dismissively. “Nothing to be worried about,” she assured.

“Did anything come up from your readings last night?” asked Bruce.

“Nothing that we don’t already know about,” she titled her head a little bit. “But,” she motioned for Tim to hand over this BatTablet. He handed it to her a little confused. Raven fiddled with it a bit, tapping the screen a few times. “This morning, I got in touch with Constantine,”

“At 4 in the morning?” Bruce looked impressed.

Raven shrugged. “Constantine owes me. Anyway, the pentagram at the ritual sites all have the marks of Scath,” she showed them the picture of one of the pentagrams they took a photo of and zoomed into the crooked ‘S’ in the middle. “When Tim and I read through some demonology texts, a common practice is getting branded or promising yourself off to the cult. We were so caught up with the idea of them being just a ragtag team of cult followers that I missed the possibility of them actually having a sense of order,” she explained.

It made sense to earlier this morning as she reflected about it at the library. Maybe that was why she dreamed about the ritual sacrifice, and all those old memories of her father resurfaced, because there was an actual sense of order in place. Maybe they were not just a fanatic little church after all – they actually knew how to summon demons, so it only made sense that they should have some set up that could lead them to the church.

“When the Church of Trigon first organized, members would get branded with runes and the symbol of Scath, my father. It would show your commitment to the church. My mother had one branded on her,” she paused and placed the tablet on the table. She looked at the two men across of her, and faintly wondered if she should continue. “I have the same markings, unfortunately,”

She pulled down the collar of Tim’s hoodie and showed them an old burn site right below her left collar bone. The scar burn was raised against her pale skin and one could barely see black lines peeking out of the puckered flesh. “I tried to burn it off I when first got them during my 18th birthday,” she sent them a wry smile. “I quickly realized that didn’t mean I was off the hook from being my father’s portal,”

“You’re saying that these cultists have the same markings?” Bruce looked doubtful. “We already tried making scans at the Watchtower, nothing came up,”

Raven adjusted the collar around her neck. “Maybe there are variations,” she shrugged. She picked up the BatTablet again and pressed the screen. “Or we need to look more closely on the ground. Sometimes, because they are so disorganized in organizing themselves, they don’t get picked up on the radar. And that’s how most little cults and magic users operate – we don’t organize in large groups,” she shrugged. “Salem Witch Hunt, never again.”

“Constantine said that there is an underground club for metas and magic users in the outskirts of Gotham,” she showed them the picture of an old, abandoned warehouse. “It is charmed, so humans cannot spot it. It’s off the grid, I haven’t heard of this one in Gotham, but places like these are pretty common among magic users. We have one in Jump. These places rarely allow humans to enter the clubs,” she looked at Bruce and Tim. “Constantine told me that he had a contact I could get in touch with who might know someone from the cult, or if we’re lucky, someone from the cult could be at the club. Constantine will send me details later this afternoon. I can go tonight and check out the club,”

Bruce frowned and stared at Raven thoughtfully. “Just for intel gathering, nothing else,”

Raven nodded. “Intel only,” she paused. “I’d rather not cause any trouble in club filled magic users and other beings,”

“Take Tim with you,”

“I’m going with you,”

Raven frowned at them, growing slightly frustrated and she closed the tablet. “Didn’t you guys catch the part where it’s an metas-only club?”

“I don’t want you to go in alone. We do this together. Find a way for you to bring Tim into the club. We’ll have a briefing later this evening before you leave. End of discussion,” and with an air of finality, Bruce seemed to successfully end the discussion.

“Understood,” Raven nodded. She knew better than to argue with Batman.

Satisfied, Bruce nodded. “I’ll see you both later tonight,” he said to them before leaving the breakfast table.

“Raven?”

She felt Tim’s worry and curiosity press against her. She looked at him, blue eyes shining in emotions she could not quite place. “Let’s talk about what’s going to happen tonight later,”

Tim frowned. “Is this a good idea?”

Raven sent him sly smile. “Let’s just figure out how to smuggle you in as my human pet or something,”

Tim felt his ears ring and his stomach roll. _That did not sound like a good idea – or did it?_


	5. Chapter 5

_Raven was dangerous._ Tim decided with finality. And he wasn’t talking about her ability of wiping out an entire dimension with the flick of her wrist.

No.

He was talking a whole new level of dangerous that seemed to have slowly presented itself in front of him. He shouldn’t even dip his fingers into the dangers, because he was the _smart and rational Robin_. However, his entire Ivy League education seemed to be thrown out of the window. He feared he might be slowly threading in dangerous waters after all.

“Are you okay?”

Raven’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he briefly cast his eyes her way. She eyed him curiously, brows creased, as she pulled herself away from staring out of his car’s window and turned fully to him. “You’re thinking very loudly again.”

Tim felt his cheeks warm, embarrassed to have been caught. Of course she could _hear _him. _She was an empath. _Tim cleared his throat and continued driving. “Just thinking if tonight’s a good idea.”

Raven watched him thoughtfully. Tim was sure she could see right into his core. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched her tilt her head a bit and a small knowing smile formed on her lips. “Nervous?”

Tim tapped the steering wheel mindlessly with his fingers. He made a dismissive sound at the back of his throat. They turned into a parking space that was located a couple of blocks away from the warehouse. Parking their nondescript black Toyota, Tim killed the engine. He felt his nerves run a mile a minute as he thought over everything, tonight’s undercover plans included. “Wouldn’t necessarily call it nervous. Probably just had too much coffee.” He finally replied.

Raven raised a delicate eyebrow. “You always have too much coffee.”

Tim laughed, the mood in the car lightened. He leaned back in his seat and fiddled with the zipper of his leather jacket absently. “Hey, don’t judge.”

Raven rolled her eyes and removed her seatbelt. “Ready?”

“As I ever will be,” Tim offered a lopsided smile. He tried to open car door, but Raven’s hand on his forearm stopped him. Turning back to her, he looked at her questioningly. “Huh?”

“We can’t have Tim Drake walk into the club.” Raven eyed him. “Even if clubs like these are pretty discreet and like to keep secrets, people may still talk. And there are a few humans in there.”

Raven paused and watched him eye her curiously. She stared at his well-defined face and the corners of her lips raised. Tim’s eyes were a different shade of blue from Richard’s. She silently thought she liked this shade better. Her right hand glowed softly with her dark magic and she raised her hand towards his face.

Tim’s eyes widened slightly, alarmed at the close contact and her glowing hand. Instinctively his right hand quickly grabbed her hand’s forearm, stopping her from coming closer. “You’re not going to punch me right?”

Raven laughed. Tim taught it was a beautiful sound.

“No,” she shook her head and gently pulled her arm out of his hand. “Even if it is tempting sometimes.” She teased and Tim chuckled. “I’m just going to cloak your face, so people will not recognize you. It’s a simple spell. You’ll still look the same to me, but to others you’ll just be some random handsome stranger,”

Tim smiled, eyebrow raised. “Handsome?”

Raven blushed and felt her insides tingle. “Careful,” she whispered. “Don’t get cocky.”

“You think I’m handsome?” he teased and watched a soft blush spread across her cheeks. He allowed her glowing hand to touch his check and he felt a soft warmth momentarily spread across his face. Her hand was soft, Tim noted. He tried not to lean into her touch.

“Don’t be full of yourself,” Raven rolled her eyes, and pulled her hand away quickly as soon as the spell was done. “It doesn’t look good on you,”

“So you think I look good?”

Raven huffed and dropped her hands into her lap. “You’re spending way too much time with Jason.” She turned to open her door and stepped out of the car without much of another word.

Tim scrambled out of the car, following her out into the cool evening. The parking lot was mostly empty and he locked the doors behind them. Stuffing his hands into his leather jacket, he stepped around the car and stood next to her.

Silence fell on them as they looked around the parking lot. His eyes landed on her as she shifted in her spot next to him, Tim watched Raven momentarily. Her purple eyes scanning their surroundings, on high alert, but at the same time she looked relaxed. There was an energy around her he could not entirely place – it was as if she was ready to spring into action and _more_. He faintly wondered if she regularly went to clubs like these. _It would be a good addition to his notes._

Raven was dressed in a black sheer top with a black bra top that left little to the imagination. She wore a leather skirt and black boots. Silver and black bracelets adorned her wrists and her signature rings were on her fingers. She looked _captivating_. Tim tried really hard not to stare. He felt his throat dry and he swallowed mechanically.

“Ready?”

Tim was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard her voice. Her purple eyes were bright in the glow from the lampposts, and Tim thought she looked _beautiful. _

Raven watched Tim, feeling the soft wave of his emotions. She felt her stomach flutter at the familiar push of attraction and interest from him. Where all the other Robins where a wild mix of emotions, Raven had quickly learned that Tim’s emotions were more gentle and warm, though persistent.

They walked out of the parking lot and headed towards the warehouse. The streets were mostly empty, except for a few people passing them along the street. The area was a warehouse district, so it was largely a given that only a few people would be around. They walked in companionable silence, keeping an eye on their surroundings and sticking close to each other. Raven was a little wary of her surroundings, this being her first time in the area.

“Did Constantine give any new updates?” Tim asked as they rounded a block. His eyes shifted to the right, briefly looking into a dark alley as a cat ran past their feet.

“No. Details are pretty much the same. His contact will just approach us,” Raven murmured. She pointed towards the corner up ahead. “We take a turn there.”

Tim nodded. He looked down at her out of the corner of his eyes. “And we’re sure we can trust Constantine’s friend?”

Raven made a wry smile. “I’m sure that the contact is not his friend. But yes, we can trust the contract to a certain degree,”

Tim huffed and stuffed his hands into his jeans. “That’s reassuring.”

Raven took his elbow and pulled him into the small alley they just walked by. A rat scampered past their legs and Raven made a face. “Here.”

Tim frowned. They alley, for the lack of better words, was ugly. The brick walls on either side of them were wet from the rain earlier in the evening and a couple of trashcans were upturned at the end of the alley. Up ahead, they could see a dim light over a raised cemented doorstep.

The entrance to the club was a nondescript steel door. The alley looked dangerous and Tim could smell piss coming from somewhere down the alley. He eyed their surroundings warily, senses alert just in case someone decided to jump them. He turned to Raven, and watched her shoulders tense. She shot him a quick glance before moving closer to him.

“Remember, play along.” She whispered to him before leaning forward and knocking loudly at the rusty door.

A small hatch in the door opened and large green eyes stared back at them. Tim swore that they glowed and he felt the atmosphere around them shift as the eyes stared back at them. He felt Raven tense next to him and her body shifted closer to his, elbows brushing up against each other.

“Here for some fun,” Raven announced, she bounced lightly on her heels.

The green eyes narrowed and shifted between them. After a few moments, they blinked. “Humans not allowed.” The voice sounded scratchy and muffled behind the door.

Tim wanted to argue but before he could, Raven shifted next to him and her left arm snaked around his hips. She pushed herself flush against him and he acted immediately, both relishing the contact and reminding himself to act natural by wrapping his right arm around her shoulders. He pulled Raven closer to him and Raven hummed softly, her hand resting dangerously low on his stomach. She looked at the calculating eyes over her shoulder and she gave an sultry grin. “But I want to show him a good time.” She practically purred, and pushed herself closer to Tim.

Green eyes narrowed. “Fuck your human somewhere else. Not here,”

Tim’s eye’s widened a fraction of an inch. _Fuck? What kind of club was this?!_

The hatch was about to close when Raven reached out with her free hand and with glowing fingers stopped the hatch from closing completely. “Wait, wait.” Raven called.

The green eyes narrowed again and stared at them expectantly.

Tim was grossly unprepared what happened next. He watched transfixed as a sultry expression crossed Raven’s face. He felt her press herself up against him again, her left hand curl into his plain white t-shirt under his leather jacket and the fingers of her other hand drop into one of the front pockets of his jeans, pulling his hips towards her. _Breathe, Tim. _His fingers on her shoulder tightened.

“I can share him,” Raven purred.

She leaned up, body pressing up against his, and she kissed the underside of his chin.

_Holy fuck. _Tim swallowed involuntarily.

Raven seemed not to show any signs that she minded at how Tim’s fingers dug into her shoulder. He felt her cools skin underneath her mesh top. She smiled alluringly up at him, purple eyes shining in the dim light, before titled her head and sent the green eyes a sexy smile over her shoulder.

There was a moment of silence as the green eyes stared at them. “Fine,” the voice finally said and the hatch slammed shut.

The rusty door swung open suddenly and Tim heard Raven sigh softly against him. The door revealed a dark hallway with soft ambient music coming from the depths of the warehouse. Raven pulled herself away from Tim and her left hand slipped into his hand. Their fingers intertwined and Tim involuntarily squeezed her hand. Raven looked up and offered a small smile.

“Let’s go,” she whispered.

They stepped through the threshold and the rusty door behind them slammed shut.

“Demon,” called the familiar scratchy voice from behind them.

Raven tensed and they both turned around and stared at the Goblin standing on a wooden crate. Eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched them. “Make sure you keep your human on a short leash. You don’t want to lose him here,”

A playful smile spread on Raven’s lips and she tugged Tim closer to her. “Don’t worry, we like short leashes.”

Ignoring the innuendo and the images that immediately sprang to mind, Tim grinned and gave the annoyed Goblin a smug two-finger salute. He allowed Raven to pull him down the sparsely decorated hallway, dim light illuminating their features. He cast a brief glance at Raven, taking in the confidently alluring sway in her movements, and Tim had a feeling he was way over his head now.

At the end of the hallway was an old wooden door with chipped red paint. Tim could see scratch marks on the door, and he silently wondered why there were scratch marks (though he also didn’t want to find out too). Raven pushed open the door and they stepped into a dimly lit club. Ambient techno music filled the air immediately and the strong musky air of sweat and people packed in a cramped space assaulted their senses.

Tim blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust to the dark light. Raven seemed to have no problems with the lighting, her purple eyes bright as they quickly scanned the room on high alert. Her hand tightened in his own and he quickly looked down at her.

The club looked more like an burlesque club with dark corners that held sultry secrets. The club had high ceilings, with hidden second and third levels that looked over the main dance floor and tables. There was a small stage on one side of the room with spotlights on a couple of sultry dancers with a few sets of extra orange eyes. There were arches and old beams that went around the club, and red and black tassels and curtains hung from the ceilings and arches, hiding from the prying eyes movements in the shadows. The air in the club was warm and there was a sweet, alluring scent that came with the musky air of people and sweat. Tim swallowed as he watched silhouettes move in the dim light. Mostly looked human, with curves of women dressed in typical club clothes and broad shouldered men in ordinary wear. There were a few metas and other beings with extra limbs and horns that moved through the club. Tim stared as a woman with horns and orange skin walked past them dressed in incredibly tiny leather shorts.

“It’s impolite to stare,” he heard Raven murmur into his ear. Tim was sure his mind was at least a tiny bit foggy because he hadn’t felt Raven lean up into his ear. He tried to blink some clarity back into his system.

Raven offered him a sly smile, and she titled her head, watching him for a moment. “Let’s go to the bar,” she announced and pulled him with her towards the long, dark bar. They took a spot at one end of the bar that was empty and gave them a good view of their surroundings. Tim watched Raven lean on the bar with practiced ease and she flagged down the bartender.

“Hey,” Aside from the extra sent of arms, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the bartender. He grinned at Raven and dropped all four hands on the bar in front of him. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have the house special and he’ll get a scotch and a bottle of water,” Raven said.

The bartender looked at Tim briefly, chuckled, and nodded. “Sure thing.” He turned away to prepare the drinks.

Tim raised an eyebrow and waited for Raven to explain. She shrugged and simply shuffled into his space, standing right next to him as his right side leaned against the bar. Her left hand rested on his forearm on the bar while she absently surveyed their surroundings. While Tim knew that he should be actively looking around and remain on high alert, he was silently enjoying seeing this side of Raven.

Three hands appeared in the space between their bodies and Tim watched as the bartender set their drinks down in front of them. Raven’s was a dark silvery substance in a martini glass. “Here you go,”

“Thanks,” Tim said, taking his scotch glass and taking a small sip.

The bartender lingered behind them and watched as Raven took a sip from her silver drink. “I haven’t seen you around here before,” stated the bartender with a tone that obviously meant something else.

Raven turned fully to the bar, her shoulder pressing into Tim’s chest. She smiled coyly at the bartender. “It’s our first time in Gotham,” she announced over the ambient music. “Just taking him here for some fun,”

“Ah, human,”

Tim smiled slightly, thinking it was the right thing to do. With his other hand, he wrapped his fingers around Raven’s forearm on the bar. “Yeah,”

The bartender grinned and tilted his head in Tim’s direction. Blonde hair fell into his grey eyes and he eyed them both appreciatively. Tim didn’t like the way his eyes seemed to linger on Raven’s chest. “If you two need an extra set of hands, you know where to find me.” And with that, he winked and disappeared down to the end of the bar.

“Ugh,” Raven breathed, turning back around to face the entire club next to Tim. She sagged a little against him, as Tim’s free hand came around her back and rested against the bar.

“What _kind _of club is this, Rachel?” asked Tim, using her alias. He leaned down towards her and his brows furrowed.

Raven looked around cautiously before replying. “It’s a club for metas,” she tilted her head thoughtfully and met Tim’s probing look. She shifted guiltily, feeling like she was at the verge of spilling a dirty little secret. “Fine. Some of these places have the reputation where you can let out some pent up _energy_ in a place where you don’t have to worry about humans walking in on you, hearing you, and, I don’t know, getting hit by some energy ball when someone,” Raven pauses, “orgasms.”

Tim’s hand behind Raven’s back involuntarily balled into a tight fist and he felt warmth spread through his body. He leaned down, eyes wide and slightly alarmed. “You took me to a sex club!?”

“What, no!” Raven pulled away slightly. “Look, there’s a reason why not a lot of humans are allowed in here. There are just some beings who have to store a lot of energy within them while they are outside. When they’re in places like these, they can be whoever they want. Release doesn’t always mean sex. Whatever you’re seeing is because of some of the pheromones in the air which help people to, err, relax.”

Tim blinked, felt his cheeks warm just a bit. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see a group of patrons just talk. Raven looked at him a little amused. “Some of us just do come to places like these just to hangout and talk, you know.” She poked him in the chest, playfully. “Get your mind out of the gutter,”

Tim chuckled and made a grab for her hand. “Sorry, sorry.”

Raven watched as Tim held her hand and they both paused with the teasing. Her purple eyes shone bright in the dim lights. “Although, some beings do bring their human partners here for some sort _release and play. _Sex and BDSM with supernatural beings and demons. Apparently, some humans take a lot of pleasure knowing that their dirtiest kinky monster dreams are real.” Raven gave him a smirk and interlaced their fingers again playfully, she was teasing him again. “That’s why most people here think that I brought you here so you can live out your dirty little fantasies with a demon and others,”

“Rachel!”

Raven took a sip from her drink and sent him a shrug. “I told you guys this was a meta-only club.”

Tim downed the rest of his scotch in one go, wincing at how it burned. He hoped it would work at distracting him from the teasing, flirty Raven next to him and the internal battle of emotions he was feeling – and undoubtedly Raven was feeling from him too. He needed to calm down. This was getting very _dangerous. _

“Hi,” a presence made itself known next to them. A woman in black jeans, white crop top, and blonde wavy hair stood in front of them. She looked normal enough – but then again, Tim wasn’t all too sure. He watched her more closely and as the light hit her skin, it turned a deep shade of blue.

“I never seen you two before,” the woman said, grinning at either of them. She turned to Raven, a sly smile spreading on her lips. “You brought your human.”

Raven frowned. “I don’t share,”

A wicked smile played on the woman’s lips and she swiftly stepped into Raven’s space, hand sliding over her hip. Tim’s eye’s widened at the intimate action and he felt Raven’s fingers curl tightly into his hand. “Who says I want to share your human?” The woman pressed herself up against Raven, having caught her off guard.

“I don’t share,” Tim announced and with strength that surprised the woman, he slipped has arm around Raven’s small waist and easily pulled her towards his chest fully. He nudged the woman (being?) away with his elbow and possessively held Raven close to him. He noted how easily Raven fit into his embrace – something that was definitely worth noting and remembering.

Proving their point, Raven sent the annoyed woman a sly smirk over her shoulder, and very fluidly pushed herself up against Tim’s firm chest and kissed him. Raven hummed and her right hand curled around Tim’s neck, leaning in more.

Tim blinked once and tried not to look shocked when Raven all but crowded his space. When soft lips touched his own and he felt a soft hum from her, he was lucky he still had half a brain to make everything look natural. His arm tightened around her waist and his other hand curled around her bicep and pulled her closer.

Tim felt his entire body react and come to live as Raven hummed again and he felt her fingers toy with his hair. The delicious press of her curves against him took all the self-control he possessed to not push her up against the bar behind them and kiss her senseless. But they were on a mission, out to find demons, and ready to –

Her fingers curled into his long hair, she tugged softly, and when she opened her lips against his own, Tim finally knew he was long gone. He saw stars.

Fuck the mission.

Tim groaned against her lips and his arm tightened around her waist, he pushed himself against her and his other hand pressed firmly against her upper back. Her tongue swiped against his own and she titled her head just enough to give each other better access. He felt fingers tangle into his hair and tugged again, making him see lights against his eyelids. He bit into her lower lip and he felt her soft moan rumble low her chest.

It felt like his body was on fire where Raven’s other hand traveled. She sighed against his lips and fingers danced over his bicep and sides. Groaning and feeling a slow pooling desire to touch her more, Tim’s own hand slid low and rested on the curve of her ass. His hands tightened around her and his tongue took another possessive swipe against her own.

She smelled like lavender and vanilla. And Tim inhaled her familiar scent deeply and felt his mind fog with desire. Wanting more, he threw caution into the wind and pushed her against the bar behind them. Her hips met his in a delicious press of bodies and he heard her moan softly against him. He pressed himself against her more when she pulled her lips away from his and proceeded to kiss his neck. Tim’s hand curled tightly around her bicep again and he was sure there’d be a bruise. He felt sharp teeth brush against his pulse point and his eyes fluttered. Cold fingers barely slipped underneath the hem of his shirt, teasing the heated flesh underneath. Growling low in his chest, Tim pushed Raven away from him slightly and moved to try to pick her up to sit her on the bar. He kissed her soundly once more, tongue demanding and needy. And just as he was about to hoist her up, he elbowed his scotch glass off the bar.

The sound of glass shattering over ambient club music broke the spell.

_Holy fuck_.

Purple eyes flew open and Tim breathed heavily as he pressed his forehead against hers. Her hot breath fanned over his face and he swore this was the fastest his heart beat – ever. Her eyes were hooded and clouded in a dark purple hue that was so attractive he had to stop himself from leaning in again.

“Hi,” he finally whispered, still breathless. A crooked smile slowly pulling along his lips.

Purple eyes blinked slowly. The corner of her lips lifted as her cheeks remained flushed. “Hi.”

Tim’s mind was still foggy and it took some time before he slowly peeled himself away from Raven. He held her elbow to steady her and he watched her carefully. Neither made the move to move further away.

Raven cleared her throat and she briefly looked away from Tim’s stormy eyes. Tim’s emotions were warm and intense, she felt them possessively wrap around her and push into her. Her own emotions were roaring alive with Lust practically purring in content. She involuntarily leaned closer to Tim, still seeking his warm emotions. She looked up at him, her insides warming at the sight of his tousled hair. “That…sorry – Probably the pheromones in the air,” she whispered softly.

Tim swallowed and his fingers dug into her elbow. He leaned down slightly and stared at her flushed face. “No,” he said and watched as purple eyes widened.

He fixed his gaze at her. “Definitely not the pheromones,”

They stared at each other again, the air definitely shifting between them. Raven’s eyes shifted briefly back to Tim’s lips before looking into his eyes. Her purple eyes were bright again and a slow, small smile formed on her lips.

“Okay.” She whispered and her hand rested on his forearm.

Tim inhaled slowly. And as he watched Raven with her small smile and the memories of her lips against his own hot on his mind, he was reminded just how dangerous this has all become.

And he liked it.


	6. Chapter 6

Raven knew that Dick would be all up her ass if he found out she had a heavy make out session with his brother in the middle of a club filled with metas. She was sure Bruce wouldn’t be all too pleased either.

So much for being the professional, level-headed Titan.

She still felt a faint throb on her upper arm where Tim grabbed her. She would be lying if she did not enjoy what just had happened moments earlier. Tim was an excellent kisser – and her inner demon wondered what else he could do. She’d be blind to ignore Tim’s long glances and his persistent push of emotions – they practically wrapped around her. Over the course of the week, she was pleasantly surprised she liked her time spent with this Boy Wonder – and it seemed all her other emotions agreed too. And excited tingle ran down her spine.

God, she was asking for trouble. Dick was going to burn her.

She felt the warm, needy push of Tim’s emotions against her and she swallowed. She felt her own emotions lurch and reach out to him. It was such a bad idea to bring Tim along. This mission was asking for trouble.

“Are you going to pay for that?”

Tim and Raven looked behind them and stared at the slightly amused bartender. He pointed at the broken scotch glass on the floor.

Tim blinked. “Oh, yeah.” He cleared his throat and pulled out a few bills, handing them into one of the guy’s many hands. “Sorry about that.”

The bartender brushed him off. “We get that a lot.” He paused and grinned at them wickedly. “There are a couple of rooms upstairs if you two want to finish whatever you started.” He placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward just a little bit, winking at Raven. “I’d be happy to give you a hand, or two.”

Raven smirked. “Tempting.” She blinked when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She grabbed Tim’s left hand and stepped away from the bar. “But we got our own hands to enjoy already.”

Not having enough time to respond, Tim quickly caught himself from stumbling backwards as Raven roughly pulled him away from the bar and her hand tightened around his. “Rachel?” he asked, voice rising over the ambient music.

They pushed their way through a small dancing crowd and Tim followed her up a set of metal stairs along the side of the club. He cast a quick glance around their surroundings, making sure he had a good visual of the place in case anything went south. His arm strained a little from being tugged along for so long. “Rae?”

They made it to the second floor landing where tables and chairs filled the side of the landing. There were a few people talking and dancing on the landing, others were leaning by the ledge looking down at the club crowd below them. A few privacy curtains were up in some booths. Tim blinked at the sight of the deep red curtains.

What was she planning?

Rachel pulled him along as she walked towards one of the empty booths with a few low gaudy looking sofa seats and a privacy curtain. “Here,” she said, sending him a crooked grin and catching his surprised blue eyes in a long stare. Quickly turning around, she let go of his hand and grabbed both of his upper arms and steered him into the booth. For show, she unceremoniously pushed him into one of the overly plush chairs, making him tumble backwards into the booth.

“Oof,”

Tim stared wide eyed at Raven as she stood over him. He watched as she quickly threw privacy curtain closed and they were bathed in a warm red light. Was this one of the rooms the bartender was talking about? He felt his heart pound loudly in his ears, his head was still reeling from kissing her earlier. Tim needed a long cold shower after this mission. “Rae?”

“Shh,” she whispered, purple eyes wide as they were illuminated in the red light. She looked captivating, Tim noted. She lowered herself into the seat next to him and blinked.

Tim sat up, brows furrowed and senses on high alert. He listened for movements, but could only hear he muffled music and movements from the people talking and drinking outside; there were occasional soft whispers from the booth next to theirs. He turned to Raven briefly, her eyes narrowed and her body ready to spring into action.

They heard a soft giggle and soft moan from next door. Tim gave Raven a brief bewildered look, which she returned with an absent shrug. They patiently waited for a few more moments, listening to the noise outside.

Their attention quickly snapped towards one side of the heavily draped booth, when the curtains suddenly moved. Raven and Tim stood up when a pale hand popped through the curtain and waved.

“Are you two decent?”

The man had a heavy Gothamite accent. When they did not respond, there was a low chuckle and middle aged man holding a beer bottle stepped through. Dressed in plain black paints and a black long sleeved shirt with salt and pepper hair, he looked human enough. Grey eyes surveyed the alert heroes, and he smirked.

“Quite a show you two put up down there, I honestly thought you’d continue here, that’s why I waited for a bit,” he sent them a grin.

Raven frowned and crossed her arms. “You’re Constantine’s friend?”

“Name’s Frank.” The man plunked down into the seat, the beer in his hand sloshing around in the bottle, and he grinned up at them. He fixed his eyes on Tim and pointed his beer bottle at him. “Nice cloaking charm.” Frank took a swig from his beer. “Wouldn’t go as far as calling Constantine my friend.”

“You’re meta,” Raven slowly sat down across of him. Tim sat down next to her, she felt his emotions buzzing, ready to spring into action. She briefly glanced at Tim before turning to the annoying man across of them. Trust Constantine to have asshole contacts.

“Meta more than you’ll know, baby.”

Raven’s jaw twitched. “What do you know about what’s the Church of Trigon?”

Frank placed his bottle on the low table in between them. Unnaturally black eyes looked back at them they had no pupils. “Straight to the point, eh?”

Tim frowned, not liking the man. “That’s the idea.”

Frank looked at Tim and rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun.” Raven and Tim stared back at him nonplussed. Huffing, Frank sat and leaned a little over the table eyeing them seriously. “Trigon is coming.”

“Trigon is dead.” Raven’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Frank’s nose twitched and he looked annoyed. “Fine, you’re correct, he’s dead.” He took a swig of his beer. “But this rag tag wanna-be cult still thinks they can bring him back.”

“They’re just bringing in lesser demons into earth,”

The man shrugged and ignored Raven. “They have it in their little heads that they’ll keep on trying until they get it right.”

Tim frowned. “Do you know who runs this group? And where they plan to meet up next?”

Frank scratched his chin. “Sebastian Blood is long gone. One his original loyal followers, Lilith, organized this small cult. They’re a small group of hippie believers who think the world needs cleansing by Trigon the Terrible. She invited a small group of metas and cultists into the circle, thinking she could continue what Blood had started.” He paused to take a swig from his beer. “Lilith is not the best organizer, she never was. They don’t have exact plans. But what I hear now is that they have a small little church in the abandoned warehouse district in the outskirts of the city close to the forest. It usually takes them a day or two after their last summoning to try again, so maybe be on the lookout for that.”

“Why are they doing this?” Tim asked as he digested all information and kept it to memory.

The man looked at Raven, locking eyes with her. He titled his head a little and sent her a knowing look. “I’m sure you know.”

Raven felt her ears ring loudly and blood rush into her head. She leaned forward, ignoring Tim’s curious gaze and stared at the man across of them. Memories of the heated marble burning into her back came rushing back. “Do they have a sacrifice?”

Frank frowned and leveled his gaze with her. “No. Maybe the think they don’t need one.” He slowly leaned away from the table and watched Raven’s expression. “Or they think they already have one.”

Tim jumped at how fast Raven reacted. Her movements were swift, she easily pushed the table aside and all but lunged at the man with a low growl. She pinned him against the wall behind him, pushing him roughly against the wall and holding him at choke point with her elbow. Black energy practically oozing from her.

“You’re one of them.”

Tim watched as Raven grabbed the man’s left wrist and pulled down the sleeve of his sweater. The symbol of Scath was visible from underneath the gnarly burn marks. Tim stood up, ready to spring into action. He watched cautiously as Raven pressed the man further into the wall, making him choke.

“Was,” he chuckled, not even bothering to get out of the deadly grip. He gave Raven a wry smile through his pained expression. “When we saw the first time what happened with your father, I realized this shit was crazy.”

The beer bottle on the floor exploded. “My father?”

Frank’s head turned just a little bit in her vice-like grip and he tried his best to look her in the eyes. His black eyes were emotionless. “You look so much like Arella, Raven.”

Raven had forgotten what Rage felt like up until very moment. The fires from her dreams came roaring alive, licking at her legs and body and she growled lowly in her chest. She shifted her body, pressing the man into the wall more and hearing a satisfying choking noise. “You knew my mother.”

“Rae.” Tim watched Raven cautiously. Black energy was snapping just by her legs.

“She was very beautiful.” The man rasped.

She was ready to attack and release whatever energy rage that was building inside of her. Her energy was cackling around them and just as she was about to punch the grin off the asshole’s face, the red light above them exploded engulfing them into semi-darkness. She felt Frank shift underneath her and roughly push her away from him.

“No,” Raven stumbled into Tim, who caught her easily. And she watched in sheer frustration as Frank cast them an apologetic look and threw open the heavy privacy curtain. The heavy sound of music and people talking filled their booth.

“Sorry, love.”

Raven frowned and pushed herself away from Tim. They watched as the man bolted down the ledge, pushing patrons and tables out of his way. He ran faster than a normal human being.

“No, you don’t.” Raven whispered with a frown, she ignored Tim’s cry and started giving chase. Pushing herself through the crowd, she tried to catch Frank. When he vaulted over the ledge, she easily followed, safely landing next to the stage. She faintly heard Tim behind her do the same.

“Stop!” Raven shouted, trying to catch up with Frank as he pushed himself through the crowd. She ignored the angry cries of the crowd and growled in frustration as the guy burst through the main entrance.

“Damn you, demon!” the Goblin who had been thrown out of the way by the man.

She ignored him, roughly pushed the rusty door open, making it slam against the brick walk. And she quickly found Frank running down the alley.

Raven easily followed, trying desperately to gain some ground. After surveying the area and seeing a people outside, she knew she couldn’t use her powers openly or risk getting identified. She felt a mad rush for anger and frustration hit her as she watched the man run down the street and push people out of his way.

“I said stop!” Raven yelled.

Thunder rolled above them as they neared the empty docks and as luck would have it, it slowly started to rain. She could hear Tim calling and running close behind her, but her emotions got the better of her and she ignored all calls. As people slowly stared to thin out by the docks, Raven was about to release inky black tendrils to catch Frank.

Purple eyes widened in surprise and she stumbled as the man turned around just as they entered the empty docks and threw a knife at her.

“Sorry again, love.” 

Raven just had enough time to move her head a fraction of an inch. She felt the knife nick her cheek and she winced. She stumbled forward and felt her ears ring. She couldn’t let him go – he knew her mother, he was there when she joined the cult, Frank watched when her mother being placed on the marble, when they offered her to her father. He saw her mother on the hot marble altar as her father took her.

“Rachel stop!”

Thunder rolled loudly over them and she blinked when she found herself standing right by the ledge of the docks. She gasped and took a step back – where was the man? She felt her legs throb in protest from all the running and her emotions were pushing wildly against her.

Rain was pouring angrily down on her, and it ironically seemed like straight out of the movies. Her breathing was uneven and her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Frustration and anger filled her.

He knew her mother. He saw her. He helped the church lure her mother in.

Purple eyes clenched shut as the memory of hot fire consuming her filled her. Her mother should have never experienced the torture of her father. She heard the roaring sea below, the ocean slapping loudly against the concrete. She desperately tried to calm her heart.

“Rae?”

She felt Tim’s emotions before he could touch her shoulder tentatively and she turned around quickly, wet purple hair flying and slapping against her face. She stared at him breathless, purple eyes locking with concerned light blue ones. Tim dropped his hand immediately and swallowed.

They stared at each other, both out of breath and searching each other’s emotions. Tim stood cautiously in front of her, unsure if she’d lash out. Thunder rolled over them and lightning crashed loudly. Breaking contact, Tim looked up briefly and watched the sky brighten as lightning filled the sky.

“Let’s go home,” he whispered, looking back at Raven.

Tim watched as purple eyes softened and a defeated look filled her face. Raven nodded numbly and gave the docks behind them once last glance before slowly following Tim out of the pier.

Their walk back to Tim’s car was heavily silent, only broken by the noisy rumble of thunder. When they reached the car, they silently slipped into the vehicle and locked the doors. Illuminated by the light from the lamppost close-by, Tim cast Raven a worried glance. His mind was still processing what just happened.

Sighing softly, noting how drenched they were, the turned to look at the backseat of his car, hoping he could find some articles of warm clothing he might have forgotten there. Finding an old cotton baller jacket, he reached out and grabbed it.

“Here,”

He dropped the jacket into her lap and silently watched her mumble her thanks. Raven silently slipped on the jacket and sighed softly.

Tim turned on the car and switched on the car heating. He looked at Raven and watched her stare blankly at the dashboard. Looking at her lap, he watched her fists that peeked out of his jacket tighten. He stared at her worriedly – what just happened? How did this mission go down south so quickly?

“Hey,”

Raven blinked out of her reverie as she felt Tim’s hand rest on top of her first. She looked away from the dashboard and stared at his hand on top of hers, it was cold from the rain. She felt the warm press of worry from him and she turned to Tim, as she slowly sagged against her car seat and allowed her fists to unravel under his hand.

“Raven?” His brows furrowed. “You’re bleeding.”

Popping open a hidden compartment in the dashboard, he pulled out some antiseptic wipes. Turning his attention back Raven, he did not bother waiting for her response, and simply just brushed her hair away from the wound. It was a shallow knife wound from Frank’s knife. Crowding into her space a little, Tim gently dabbed the cut with the wipe. He silently waited for any kind of reaction from her, but received none.

Drawing back into his seat, Tim dropped the used wipe into a small hidden bin. Knowing he also did not want to overstep boundaries, Tim sighed softly and turned to the steering wheel. He’d talk to her once they get back to the manor. Pulling out of the parking lot, he cast a worried glance at Raven before proceeding to drive back to the manor.

“My mother was from Gotham,”

They had stopped at the red light by the Gotham Central Cemetery. It was still pouring outside and rain drops beat against their car’s windows. Tim blinked in surprise at Raven’s sudden admission and stared at her. She was busy looking out her window, taking in the barely visible cemetery. He knew Arella was from Gotham, he read Raven’s file.

He waited for her to continue but instead he heard her sigh softly and lean her head against her window. Looking up at the green light of the stop sign, he decided it was just best to talk to her once they were back home. Tim knew that Raven’s past was a touchy subject.

The ride back to the mansion was silent. Once they arrived in the Batcave, Tim was silently thankful that Bruce was still out on patrol, at least they didn’t have to worry about him for now. He honestly did not want to go into detail with Bruce over what just happened. He felt like Raven did not want to either.

They stepped out of the car and looked at each other briefly. Tim titled his head slightly and offered her a small smile. “Why don’t you go and take a shower and changer into warmer clothes. I’ll take care of filing the report and charting our next steps from the info we got from Constantine’s informant.” He shrugged his shoulders lightly and rubbed his neck thoughtfully. “Well, most of the report. I think we can skip some details.”

From where she stood across of him, Tim saw Raven visibly relax just a little bit. Her grip on his jacket loosen and she nodded. Her eyes softened and she nodded. “Thank you.”

He watched her turn around and walk out of the cave. Sighing softy, Tim tried to digest everything that transpired tonight. How fast turned from kissing Raven to getting intel to running after a former cult member was beyond him. He sat down in front of the Batcomputer and his stomach lurched and he dropped his face into his hands. He kissed Raven – or she kissed him, he kissed back, he pressed himself into her, and they both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Holy shit, Dick was going to fucking beat his ass.

Groaning, he turned to the computer and quickly started to work on the report. He needed a shower.

-

“You’re still awake?”

Raven looked up from her laptop when Tim in a pair of sweats and an old university shirt padded into the kitchen. He looked fresh from the shower and ridiculously comfortable. “Needed some tea,” she replied while watching him fill his French press with coffee grinds and hot water. “Isn’t it too late for coffee?”

Tim snorted and took the coffee press and a fresh mug to the kitchen island and sat down next to her. “Never.”

She quirked her lips. The familiar smell of Tim’s favorite coffee filled the kitchen and she inhaled softly, feeling calmer than earlier.

“Is that your file?” Tim leaned in closer to her, looking at Raven’s digital file. He blinked and looked at her. “Why are you looking at your own file?”

Raven looked at her laptop screen, before sighing and closing her laptop. She crossed her bare legs and turned to Tim. “I just wanted to review what the League had on me and my mother.” She dropped her hands on the grey island counter and absently picked on a loose thread of her sweater’s sleeve.

It still made Tim wonder how people would say that Raven was emotionless. During the course of two weeks he had seen plenty of Raven’s emotions. Tilting his head, Tim leaned forward on the island counter and placed his hand over hers, stilling her moving fingers. Tired purple eyes looked at back him. “I’m truly sorry about your mother, Raven.”

Raven’s shoulders sagged and she sighed softly. “My mother suffered from depression before she was lured into the cult. She was troubled and the cult took that to their advantage to lure her in. She didn’t know what she was getting into until it was too late.”

She dropped her gaze to Tim’s hand when they tightened just a little bit around her hands. She felt the soft push of concern coming from him. “I have a bad history with the Church of Trigon. When we defeated my Trigon years ago, I thought that would be the end.” She paused and looked at Tim. “I’ve been having dreams of my mother’s ritual when they offered her. It was horrible.”

“Dreams? Raven, you should have told us.”

She tilted her head and looked at Tim. “When we found out Frank was part of the original Church of Trigon, I snapped. He was there when they dragged my mother on the marble table and offered her as a sacrifice. My mother should have never experienced that kind of pain and evil.” Raven blinked and sighed. “I wanted him to pay for what he did.”

“But I also wanted more answers.” She continued, feeling Tim’s press of concern. “I wanted to understand why people joined the church – and why he left. I find it selfish how people think that saving the world is by hurting others.” She dropped her gaze. “I just want this cult to be gone forever.”

“Raven.” Tim’s hand tightened around her fist, making her look at him again. He gave her a determined look. “We got the information we need tonight. We’ll end this, I promise.” Offering a small, comforting smile, he continued. “For your mother.”

Raven relaxed and returned his small smile. Her fist under his hand flattened and she allowed it to turn just a bit to let his hand to slip into hers. She felt a warm flood of emotion from him and she felt her insides warm. “Thank you.”

Tim smiled brightly, sitting up a little better and allowing his right hand to squeeze her hand in support. He liked how her hand fit well into his. His gaze switched from her face down to the very familiar sweater she was wearing. Feeling more at ease with her now, realizing that something definitely had shifted between them, he offered her a teasing grin. “Is that my hoodie?”

“Finders keepers?”

Tim laughed. “Fine, keep it.” He stared at her amused face and he briefly contemplated how easy things seemed to have shifted between them.

“It’s getting late.” Raven announced and she stood up, slipping her hand out of his grasp. “We should rest so we can talk to Bruce tomorrow and make plans.”

Tim nodded and stood up as well. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

After putting their mugs into the dishwasher, they made their way up the stairs and into the wing where the guestrooms were. Raven opened her door and turned around, tilting her a head just a little bit and offering Tim a tired smile. “Thank you for helping tonight. Good night, Tim.”

Tim smiled. Raven looked beautiful in the little moonlight that shone through one of the bay windows in the hallway. Dropping his gaze to her lips and back to her eyes, Tim threw caution into the wind. “Rae,” He felt his heartbeat wildly in his ears as his hand stopped her from moving into her room.

Raven paused and watched a little breathless as his fingers curled around her forearm and held her in place. The pressure felt similar to how he held her back in the club, she still felt the ghost of his hold on her from earlier. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt Tim’s open emotions press into hers. She felt herself lean forward just a little bit. She quickly realized that how easily Tim was different from all the other Robin’s with his open emotions. “Yes?”

Tim took a step forward, crowding into her space. “I just,” he dropped his voice a little and stared into her purple eyes. “I just want to be clear that I meant what I said tonight at the club.”

Raven felt heat rush to her face and she remembered the heated kiss they shared at the club. _“Definitely wasn’t the pheromones.” _Raven swallowed and her gaze briefly dropped to his lips before looking back up into his eyes. She remembered how wonderful it felt to be wrapped up in Tim’s arms. “Oh,”

Some of Tim’s hair fell into his stormy blue eyes and his lips quirked a little bit. His fingers around her arm twitched a little bit. “That is if you’re okay with that.”

Purple eyes widened. Was she okay with the excellent time she spent with Tim? Of course. Tim’s presence headily pressing into hers? Oh, yes. Raven nodded numbly, a soft tingle running down her back.

“I know it’s been a couple of weeks. But I think you’re smart and amazing. And I enjoy spending time with you,” Tim leaned closer a little bit. “I think you’re captivating.”

She was sure her face was bright red. “Captivating?”

There, he said it. Tim felt like he was breathless – he couldn’t believe he just said all those things. “Yeah.”

A slow smile formed on her lips as she felt her body warm. Twisting her arm in his hand just a little, she reached out and held onto his forearm as well. “You talk too much, Tim.”

Raven leaned up, standing on her tippy toes and meeting hovering close to his face. Her purple eyes shone brightly. “Shut up and kiss me, bird boy.”

“Gladly.”

Tim chuckled lowly and he easily swooped in, capturing her lips in a long and heated kiss. Sleep could wait a little longer.


	7. Chapter 7

Raven woke up with a strangled gasp and blindly stumbled out of her bed. Swaying unsteadily and feeling a wave of nausea hit her, she inhaled deeply. Despite the cool dawn air, she felt her body burn underneath her camisole. Inhaling unsteadily, she desperately tried to forget fire suffocating her and hot marble angrily burning into her back. Her mother’s name was like a song whispered by disembodied voices over the hot flames.

Purple eyes closed and she released a long breath she did not know she was holding. Looking at her arms and legs, she warily checked for any signs of the marks of Scath. Standing in the middle of her room, Raven tried to calm her erratic breathing and desperately scrambled to ground herself.

Her toes curled into the plush carpet and she silently tried to push away the haunting memories of her mother. Breathing in slowly, she felt her heartbeat slowly steady but her emotions remained wild and angry inside of her. Black energy snapped at her fingertips briefly before disappearing as she inhaled sharply.

_This fucking cult was fraying her nerves._

Raven looked at her bed with a look of displeasure. The bedsheets were untucked, her blanket had tumbled down to the floor, and her pillow was dangling over the edge of her bed. Her eyes slid towards the alarm clock and she frowned. 2:45 in the morning. She barely got any sleep.

With her emotions so tightly wound, Raven knew sleep would not return any time soon. Sighing softly, she marched towards her closet and decided to blow off some steam. After changing into a pair of shoes, a sports bra, and gym shorts, she silently walked through the manor listening to the quiet noises the old house offered. In the distance, she could feel the manor’s occupants still asleep in their own rooms.

The Batcave was dimly lit as she entered through its secret entrance. The cave was alive with the quiet hum of machines and computers, and Raven silently thought how impressive the whole setup was. Cyborg always was jealous of the Batcave setup, despite their advanced setup at the tower.

Flying down towards the center of the cave, she landed in the middle of the training ring. Dropping off her towel and water bottle, Raven fished out her phone that she tucked into her shorts and walked up to the sound system. A little music would help her nerves.

Just as she finished typing up and activating her training course, a few notches higher than what she would usually go for, loud rock music filled the Batcave. Stretching her body over the growing the growing thumping of rock music, she watched as holograms of robots shot up from the ground with varying weapons and bodies that towered several feet above her. The training system was similar to the one they used at the Tower where holograms could still touch and inflict damage on them.

As the loud beat of rock music steadily grew and climbed towards its crescendo, Raven jumped back into the training ring. The loud, angry drum beats filled cave, and Raven found her mind automatically slip into fight mode as a mass of fighting hologram robots lunged at her.

For training at the tower, Dick had them work on their hand-to-hand combat skills often. While Raven heavily relied on her powers during most of her fights, she quickly picked up combat skills from Nightwing. While it was nowhere near like her meditating, Raven discovered that hand-to-hand combat helped when her emotions were too wired.

And she hated to admit it, but she desperately wanted to perfect her fighting skills to save her from Dick’s constant complaints how sloppy she was with some of their weapons. She never was a fan of Dick’s criticism.

Easily punching out some of the holograms and dodging swipes from swords, Raven neatly turned on her heel and delivered a kick to a robot that tried to attack her from behind. The simulation was faster than the level she worked with back home, and she gasped for breath. Punching a robot, she jumped over the stumbling form and threw another one over her shoulder.

_This is okay, _she assured herself, as she narrowly missed a sword swipe just close to her throat. She felt the adrenaline rush through her and relished the momentary high of the fight. Anything to keep her mind off her mother, the cult, and Trigon.

One of the hologram ninjas jumped at her and swing his katana at her, Raven inhaled sharply and dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way. Scrambling towards the weapons stand, she grabbed one of the bo staffs and sharply twisted her body to deliver powerful blow to her opponent. The music switched to a fast metal song, filling the cave with loud drum beats and heavy electric guitar riffs.

_That you've always counted on,_ _  
What's your goal, to save your soul?_

Dropping low, Raven dodged a punch and swiped the bo staff under her opponent’s feet. Jumping away, she twisted again and delivered several more blows to her coming opponents. Feeling her emotions angrily thump in her veins, Raven watched as a few more holograms appeared in the training ring. Her emotions roared. Somewhere in the angry fog of her mind, she could hear the whispers of chanting.

_You better run,_ _  
You better run, you better run,  
'Cause the stars are falling from the sky,_

Grunting, Raven felt heat consume her and she punched one of the holograms angrily. Twisting, she easily met blow after blow with her bo staff and deflected punches. Clinging desperately to the heat of the fight, she tried to erase the smell of burning flesh that seemed to claw its way back into her mind. _Arella._

_You always want to be someone,_ _  
But life's a game of zero sum,_

She felt a punch draw dangerously close to her torso and she gasped. Raven felt hands grab her and pull her back onto the altar. It suddenly felt like an onslaught of hazy memories that seemed to grab her by the throat and she inhaled sharply. She took a misstep and felt the bo staff swing in the wrong way. One of the holograms knocked her off her feet, a punch she did not feel, and she landed roughly on the ground. Raven watched breathlessly as a sword swiftly came down on her head.

_You better run,___  
You better run to be someone,  
It's time to do or die...

There was a loud beep signaling that the simulation was over. The loud metal music was winding down too, ready to switch to a new song. Inhaling unsteadily, she sent out a spark of her magic and the music died. Lying breathless on the cold training floor, Raven dropped the bo staff next to her with a loud clatter and she stared blankly up at the grey and brown ceiling of the Batcave.

She felt the satisfying ache of her body as she draped her arm over her eyes. This somehow helped tame the emotions that angrily gnawed against her being.

“It would help if you twisted your leg and hips just a little bit more to reel in a stronger blow,”

Raven inhaled softly pulled her arm away from her eyes. Turning her head to where the voice came from, she spotted Tim up on the railings above her. She caught his curious gaze and stared at him. Feeling his concern and curiosity push against her, she blinked. “How long have you been here?”

Leaning over the railing, Tim watched her. “Long enough to see you punch the shit out of our combat training system.”

Raven hummed softly and sat up. She knew Tim would want to ask questions. Ignoring how his eyes swept over her body, Raven stood up and walked towards the bench where she left her things. She felt his gaze burn into her back. Grabbing her water bottle, she drank some water and eyed Tim out of the corner of her eyes walk down to the training ring.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Raven turned around at his question and watched Tim pick up the bo staff she dropped.

“Nightmares,” She replied. Picking up her towel she wiped her face and neck before wiping off her arms and stomach. She caught Tim watching the towel mover from her arms to her stomach and when she felt the slight shift of his emotions towards her, she quirked her lips lightly.

“Again?”

She shrugged. “Yeah,” she caught his calculating stare and tilted her head. “Why are you up so early?”

“I wanted to get an early start on some research I’ve been working on,”

Raven hummed. “At 4 in the morning,”

Tim watched her putter around the training ring, returning some of the weapons she used. From where he stood in the middle of the ring he could see her muscles move softly with her movements. He didn’t bother to suppress the emotions that stirred within him. With her back turned to him as she returned some arnis sticks, he caught sight of a long scar run over the swell of her left hip. Tim blinked when Raven looked over her shoulder and caught his wandering eyes.

Tim chuckled softly and crossed his arms over this chest, still holding the bo staff. “Better than beating up all of our holograms since 3 in the morning,”

Raven turned around and eyed him with a surprised look. “How did you know?”

He tapped his watch. “We get alarms when someone enters the cave,”

Raven let out a small huff of laughter. “Of course.” She walked up to him and curled her finger around the bo staff he was holding with the intent of returning it to the weapon’s stand. When Tim refused to let go of the staff, she looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“So, the music?”

Knowing that he would not let go unless she satisfactorily answered all his questions, like the nosy little nerd that he was sometimes, Raven dropped her hands and sighed. “I like how music helps me with my emotions, especially when I’m keyed up pretty badly.” Running her fingers through her messy hair, her purple eyes locked with his light blue ones. “The playlist is Garfield’s. I copied his, I’m surprised I like his choice of music, really.”

“I see a lot of Dick’s fighting style in your moves,” Tim commented, tilting his head to the side and allowing some of his hair to fall into his eyes. She blinked up at him, Raven wanted to brush his stupid hair away. “With some variations,”

“He taught me some capoeira, judo, jeet kune do, and escrima. He likes to make sure we all know how to do hand-to-hand combat in case our powers don’t work,” Raven shrugged. “He likes to crawl up our asses if we don’t do well in combat, so I try to practice. Dick is annoying when he handles our training runs, honestly.”

“I bet,” Tim grinned. Straightening, he eyed her curiously. Tapping the bo staff with his fingers thoughtfully, he pressed forward. “So, did you want to go for another round? I could teach you how improve your bo staff techniques,”

Raven frowned. “I know how to use it,”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say you didn’t know how. I know you could do even better,”

She knew what he was doing as she watched him move a step closer to her. He knew about her dreams and Tim was helping keeping her distracted. Feeling the familiar push of his emotions, she nodded. “Fine,”

Tim grinned and pushed the bo staff into her hands. “Excellent,”

Raven watched him jog off to the side of the ring and grab an extra staff for himself. She blinked as she saw him take off his shirt, leaving him barefoot in his black sweatpants. She pursed her lips as she stared as the scars and muscle move across his ridiculously chiseled back. _Was this necessary? _

“Ready?” Tim called.

Raven barely even had the time to look up from appreciating one scar disappeared into the dip of his back and into his sweatpants when he charged at her. She had the foresight to deflect his attack with her staff and grunt at the impact. “Hey!”

There was a glint in Tim’s blue eyes that bordered dangerous and amusement at the same time. Of all the Robins, Raven knew that Tim was the no fuss kind. Highly calculating, an excellent planner and strategist, and always several steps ahead in battle. While she knew he was holding back to a certain degree, Raven stumbled back as she took into the brunt of the blow.

“Always be on your toes, Raven,”

She watched him in mild annoyance twirl his bo staff before crouching down low. He sounded like Dick. Taking a step back, she readied herself for another attack. He lunged forward again and swung a series of strikes and kicks her way.

Raven frowned and tried her best to deflect all his attacks. Over the years, Tim had mastered the use of the bo staff. His training background also put him to an advantage. Trying to find an opening for her to land a strike, Raven frowned in concentration as she narrowly missed a swipe.

“You’re keeping your left side wide open, Raven,”

Raven frowned and tried to spot an opening in Tim’s attacks. She knew he had an advantage over her after studying her fight earlier. Diving into an offensive attack, she let out an annoyed grunt as Tim easily deflected her blow.

Taking advantage of her momentum, Tim struck her bo staff and sent it clattering loudly to the ground. Swinging his body around her, her grabbed her body and slammed her back against his chest and trapped her in place with his bo staff firmly pressed over her arms and chest. A little thrill of excitement jolted down his spine at the press of her body against his.

Not the one to give up easily, Raven struggled against his hold. But the more she struggled, the firmer the Tim’s bo staff pressed against her body. She felt it painfully press against her ribcage. Grunting, she tried to swing her weight to kick his feet under him but with Tim’s height and weight he seemed firmly planted to the ground.

She felt his warm breath against her neck as he pressed his face next to hers. Her body tingled at the whisper of a contact. “I told you your left was open,” there was an amused lilt in his voice.

Frustrated at loosing, Raven huffed and tapped his right thigh in surrender. “Fine,” she mumbled.

Chuckling, Tim loosened his hold around her and allowed her to step away. Tilting his head in amusement, he could practically feel her annoyance. Tossing her his bo staff, he smiled. “C’mon, let’s go through your katas,”

Where Dick was high strung and commanding in training, Tim was calm and patient. He watched her smoothly flow into different stances. While she felt his gentle press of attraction against her, he was focused on teaching. Keeping a respectable distance from her, he adjusted her arms gently and corrected her shoulders.

Raven however will admit that her attention did shift momentarily as she watched the muscles of Tim’s arms move slowly as he adjusted her wrist gently. Her focus broke briefly without her permission and she eyed the long scar running along his forearm as his fingers curled around her wrist.

Catching her curious gaze, Tim paused and his lips lifted slightly. “That’s a souvenir from the Joker,”

“Oh,” Raven inhaled softly and she felt her cheeks warm, embarrassed that she was caught staring. Her stance faltered and she wanted to drop the kata all together, but Tim hummed and ignored her. Stepping dangerously close into her personal space, he held on to her wrist and raised her hand again. He gently placed his other hand onto her lower back and guided her back into the correct stance.

“He was running around with an axe. I was 14, young, and pretty stupid,” he said, his soft voice hiding a chuckle. “I’m lucky that he wasn’t able to chop it off,”

Raven pictured a young Tim in his Robin suit and the Joker with his axe. She did not have encounters with the Joker, but from what she heard sent shivers down her spine. She wondered what it would be like to actually fight him, especially at 14.

She heard Tim hum softly. She blinked and felt Tim’s hand slid down her arm and gently push her elbow in. “Up,”

She felt the shift of energy from him as Tim moved closer and his fingers practically burned into her back. The pads of his fingers pressed gently into an old scar and she shifted involuntarily into the press of his hand.

Tim knew that he was threading very dangerous territories as he felt the mood shift. His gaze dropped from her arms to her face, to the flush that spread across her cheeks, to her slightly parted lips as she leveled her breathing through them. The warmth of her body next to his stirred so many emotions in him. To say that he didn’t want to kiss her would be a flat out lie.

Feeling his emotions press into her, and her own emotions greedily respond to his, Raven looked up and caught Tim’s long gaze. Swallowing, her gaze dropped to his lips and back to his eyes. “Did you want to try another round?” she asked, her lips lifting just a little bit.

If she was being honest, she wasn’t sure what she truly meant by that. She recalled Tim’s long kisses last night by her bedroom door and _it would be nice to be kissed again_.

Tim inhaled deeply, the smell of lavender tickling his nose. He dropped his hands around her and took a step back, his lips curling into a smile. “Sure.” Feeling the atmosphere shift around them again, he watched Raven walk away from him and drop into a fighting stance.

“Ready?”

Tim grinned. “Are you ready to lose again?”

Raven tilted her head and her eyes were bright in the light of the Batcave. It was 4 in the morning and here they were dancing dangerously around each other. A thrill of excitement slipped down her spine at the emotions that lapped around her. “Well, I had a good teacher. I’m sure I won’t lose this time,”

Tim swung his bo staff around him and they slowly circled each other. He eyed her in amusement. “Oh?” He clucked his tongue. “Are you sure?”

A smile threatened to cross her lips. “Something tells me you’ll lose,”

Tim snorted a laugh. “Please,”

“Cocky doesn’t suit you,”

Tim laughed and easily deflected her attack as she lunged at him. He watched her move, surprised how fast she corrected her stances from earlier and copied some of his moves. Jumping away, he went into offensive and swung several attacks her way. Tim was impressed how she quickly she defended herself and snuck in some attacks of her own.

Spotting that her left was still open, Tim faked an attack and then quickly maneuvered to her left with the intent of sweeping her legs under her and delivering a strike to her shoulder. But he blinked in surprise as Raven easily dodged his attack and seamlessly copied his move.

Taking the opportunity, Raven easily slipped out of his reach. Using her body, she delivered a punch across his shoulder making him drop his staff. Satisfied at Tim’s surprised reaction, she twisted her body and used the momentum to swipe her staff under his feet. Dropping her own staff, she lunged forward and pressed her hands into his shoulder and tackled him to the ground.

With a loud thud and grunt, Tim landed on his back. Squinting through the sharp pain, he tried to catch his breath and looked up at a smug Raven. Purple hair fell into her eyes and her hands pressed into his biceps barely curling around the defined muscle. Leaning over his prone form, straddling his hips, she offered a smug grin. “Your left was open,”

Tim let out an unsteady laugh as he tried to level his breathing. He tried to move his arms, but Raven kept them firmly in place. Looking up at her, he made a face. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

Raven titled her head in amusement and pressed her hands further into his biceps to prove her point. “Told you you’re going to lose this round,”

He gave her an unimpressed look. “Cocky doesn’t suit you.”

Her purple eyes twinkled. “Oh?” She clicked her tongue the same way he did earlier.

Done with the teasing, Tim quirked his lips and suddenly shifted his hips upwards causing her to tumble into his chest. Ignoring her startled yelp, he twisted his legs around hers and easily rolled them over to the ground. Using his upper body, he pitched forward and pressed his body against hers, trapping her body against the floor. His hands curled around her wrists and held them on either side of her head.

“You were saying?” Tim’s voice dropped dangerously low.

Her emotions roared and it felt like her body was on fire in the most delicious way possible as she felt nothing by the warm press of Tim’s body against hers. Raven inhaled sharply, staring up at blue eyes that held a storm of emotions behind them. His breath fanned over her face and she could faintly smell his familiar scent of sandalwood. Her emotions purred in anticipation as she felt him lean in closer.

“That was a cheap shot,” she whispered.

They were dangerously playing with fire. Tim was sure Bruce would beat his ass if he’d walk in on them now. But here they were and everything between had shifted last night. And they both wanted this. There were no excuses for taking notes. _Just this_ _tangle of emotions_. This very tentative and delicious game they now were playing. His fingers tightened around her wrists ever so lightly as he felt her shift underneath him and her body brushing against his in the most tantalizing way. Her small frame pressing against his sent desire pooling low in his body. “I told you to be on your toes,” Tim said.

Raven still felt breathless and dangerously close of tipping over whatever edge they were dangling on. She hadn’t felt like this in years and she was hungry for more. There was a beat of silence between them, as they just stared into each other’s eyes. “Hmm,” she hummed softly and her gaze dropped to his lips as he dropped his head closer to hers.

“Maybe we should try another round?” There was a hitch in her voice.

It was the invitation they both were waiting for. Letting out an unsteady breath he was holding, Tim swooped down and caught her lips in a long and searing kiss. Releasing her wrists, he cupped her cheeks and hungrily drank her soft sigh.

Raven knew she toppled over the edge the moment his lips touched hers. Her hands flew around his shoulders, the pads of her fingers dipping into hard flesh and seeking some kind of anchor as she felt herself falling. She whimpered softly as heady emotions teased her and she found herself chasing after them, wrapping her own emotions around his and pooling them low in her belly. She groaned softly at the hungry press of his lips against hers and Tim tilted her head to offer better access.

Her kisses were intoxicating and Tim was sure he could drink her sighs and whimpers for the rest of his life. Pressing into her, his tongue swiped against hers and he listened to her whispered moans. It felt like his body was burning against hers with the dangerous press of her curves and her wandering fingers. He groaned softly as she shifted against him, her hips brushed against his and it took all his self-control not to press forward.

Biting her lower lip, Tim’s right hand slipped down and ghosted over her rib cage before palming the dip of her hips and sliding over the sweaty flesh. He chased after her soft whimper and found himself wrapped in a haze he did not want to emerge from. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hip and he groaned low in his chest as she shifted against him again. Pressing a long kiss against her lips, his fingers slid dangerously low on her hip and whatever haze that seemed to have fallen on them consumed them completely. Fingers danced over her hip bone and teased the garter of her shorts.

_Yes. _Raven’s body purred, emotions tingling. She could feel him pressed against her, _just right there._ She shifted her body, humming softly at the dangerous touch. Curling her fingers into Tim’s hair, she –

A lightbulb exploded above them.

Purple eyes flew open and Raven inhaled sharply. She looked up at stormy blue eyes and watched as Tim pulled away slightly but did not peel himself off her. Breathlessly, they stared at each other trying to fight through the haze of emotions. Swallowing tentatively, Tim inhaled unsteadily and dropped his forehead against hers.

“Hi,”

Raven blinked and watched a flustered smile grow on Tim’s face. She felt his fingers twitch around her hip. She let out a softy, breathy chuckle. “Hi,”

“I – ah,” Tim blinked, trying to get his bearings in order. He inhaled unsteadily. “I’m sorry. I got carried away,” His cheeks flushed.

Raven tried to fight off a smile. “It’s okay,” she quirked her lips. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh.” His thumb absently stroked her hip and he continued to stare into her purple eyes. He could see her eyes dance with a myriad of emotions. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and watched as her already flushed cheeks reddened even more.

Tim’s emotions were warm and gentle as they pressed against hers. She smiled and mumbled a soft “thank you.”

Somewhere in the Batcave a clock dinged softly signaling it was 5 the morning already. Tim slowly, albeit reluctantly, pulled away from Raven. Bruce would be coming down soon for his training and their current state was definitely not something Tim wanted Bruce to walk in on.

Moving into a sitting position, Tim released Raven and gently pulled her up across of him. Taking in her disheveled look, he felt his insides stir. He swallowed the possessive thought that he did that to her. Running a hand through his sweaty hair, he let out a long breath. “I think it’s time for a shower,” he said. He paused and quickly backpedaled. “Separately.”

Raven laughed, the sound bright in the Batcave and Tim was sure he could get used to hearing her laugh more. It was a rare treat. Settling on her knees, she tipped forward and used his right shoulder to keep her balance, she pressed her lips briefly against his before pulling away with a soft laugh. Her emotions fluttered.

She hadn’t really planned that this mission would take such an interesting turn of events. But Raven was definitely not going to complain either.

“I like you, Tim Drake,” she whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

“Mary Johnson, 46, born in Steel City, her family moved to Gotham when she was seven. Her father, Chester Johnson, was a real estate agent who was reassigned to Gotham. He died of cancer when she was 12. Her mother, Francine, eventually remarried a couple of years later to a guy name Carl Tomson. The three of them lived a pretty straightforward life. Mary has been in Gotham ever since, never moved once. She’s a veterinarian, owns a local practice in downtown Gotham and has zero bad reviews on Yelp. She likes animals, enjoys spending her weekends at the park, catching the latest movies at the cinema, and bowling,” Tim paused as he looked at the Batcomputer. Throwing both Raven and Bruce a wry grin he shrugged. “I pulled the last bit out of her Tinder profile.”

Raven crossed her arms and cocked her head to the right, and gave Tim an amused look. Bruce made a dismissive sound at the back of his throat. Switching her gaze to the smiling middle aged woman with ash-blonde hair, green eyes and horn-rimmed glasses, Raven found it hard to believe that this woman was a die-hard follower of the Church of Trigon. She looked more like a mother from a Sunday school.

“Apparently, aside from her interests in animal care and parks, Mary seemed to have a keen interest in the occult. In her junior year of college, she heard of a cult that was gaining popularity among the underground scene in Gotham. Long story short, Mary met Brother Blood, joined the church, and helped him grow the church, and prepared whatever it took to summon Trigon onto earth,”

Raven frowned and stared at the pictures of police reports that appeared on the Batcomputer. “How come she was never caught? We never saw her when the Titans took down Brother Blood,”

Tim’s brows furrowed a bit and his blue eyes swept over the huge screen in front of them. “She somehow escaped capture when the Titans took down the church. When all records were in custody, there was no record of a Mary Johnson anywhere in the church,” Tim replied. He pressed a few more keys on the computer. “Just a Lilith Morningstar.”

“Of course,” Raven pushed herself away from the railing she was leaning against with a loud huff of annoyance. Folding her arms across her chest, she walked up to the computer and looked at the grainy image of a middle aged woman dressed in a black robe looking at something off camera. Leave it to the fanatics to take on aliases related to Satan. “Wife of Lucifer,”

“She used Lilith as her alias all throughout her time with the Church of Trigon,” Bruce said. “Explains why there is no trace of her.”

Tim nodded. Typing on the computer, he pulled up pictures of Mary – Lilith – from different locations throughout Gotham and with varying timestamps throughout the span of 20 years. “I’ve run a face recognition scan through the city’s CCTV network. She’s been frequenting a couple of old bookstores and underground locations that are more popular among occultists,” explained Tim.

Raven stared at the multiple reports and images blown up on screen. She turned to Tim with a surprised look on her face. She knew that Tim was an excellent detective, but she did not know that he was _that _good. Didn’t he say earlier that he was up at three in the morning? “You pulled up all of this information at three in the morning? How are you even awake?”

Tim waved his coffee mug at her and grinned as he heard Raven snort softly at him. “Sleep is for the weak,”

Bruce frowned, ignoring the banter and keeping his eyes focused on the screen. “Do we know why she is trying to recreate Trigon’s summoning?”

“From what we gathered she wants to finish what Brother Blood has started,” said Raven. “The church promises that Trigon will purge the world and offer them sanctuary. His followers will live in his cleansed world with everlasting life.” She frowned and folded her arms tighter over her chest. “Or so the promise goes,”

“This is the warehouse district Frank mentioned,” said Tim as he pulled up an image of an old rundown warehouse. “I’ve been tracking movements within the district and within the last 48 hours, there’s been only one person who entered one of these warehouses,”

They watched as hooded person appeared of screen and walked up to one of the old warehouses. The figure opened one of the old rusty doors and slipped through them. “Whoever that was stayed there for a 68 minutes before leaving again but this time they got a companion heading out,” Tim sped up the video and they watched as two figures stepped out of the warehouse and walked off screen. Tim paused the video and looked over his shoulder at Raven and Bruce. “That’s one empty church, if you ask me,”

Bruce frowned and stared at the screen. “Pull up the underground layout of the district. Check if there are any underground structures or tunnels under that warehouse,”

Tim hummed and typed in a few commands. “Way ahead of you, B. Oracle and I pulled up the plans up underneath the warehouse. There’s a tunnel system that’s about a 600 meters deep and leads to a bigger hall with a couple of rooms,”

Raven frowned and stared at the blueprint. A chill ran down her spine and her fingers dug into her arms. She suppressed whatever memories that bubbled dangerously under her steely resolve. “Probably one of the older church halls from Brother Blood’s time,” she said.

Switching to the blueprint of the main warehouse, Tim pulled up details of each point of entry. “There’s a couple of windows at the east and west wing of the warehouse, if we enter from the forest side tonight. There are beams and parts of the roof that caved in, that provide good enough coverage for us,” Tim began to play through the structural details of the warehouse. “Entrance to the underground hall is somewhere to the northwest of the warehouse, we’ll have to find it – it should be likely hidden in the flooring or through a door in the back wall,”

Tim continued to pull up a few more plans and live footage of the warehouse. “I’ve programmed the system to send out an alarm for any movement in the area. Oracle is doing another structural scan so we have a better idea of the underground layout.”

Bruce nodded, satisfied with the details presented. “We’ll head out tonight during patrol,” He offered Raven and Tim a brief look. “Good job you two,”

Raven titled her head at Bruce, lips quirking slightly. “Tim was the one who barely slept,”

Tim chuckled and waved his hand absently. “Who needs sleep?”

“Someone who is going head on with a group of people who have a knack at summoning inter-dimensional demons,” Raven rolled her eyes and sent him an amused smile.

“Concerned?” Tim grinned swiveled his chair in her direction. He threw her an amused grin.

Raven made a dismissive sound and turned on her heels. She ignored the brush of his emotions against her. Sending Bruce a quick glance, she stuffed her hands into her (Tim’s) hoodie. “I’m going to do some reading and meditate. I’ll see you later tonight?”

Bruce nodded. He checked his watch and pushed himself away from the railing he was leaning against. “Right. Tim and I have a board meeting. We’ll be back before dinner and we can discuss plans before we leave for the warehouse.” Turning to Tim he eyed him expectantly. “Better get ready, we leave in 10,”

“Board meeting before we take down a church that summons inter-dimensional demons. Bruce Wayne keeps a very interesting social calendar,” Raven sent Bruce an amused smile as she passed him on her way out of the cave.

Not waiting for a reply, she slipped out of the cave and silently walked through the hidden pathway that connected the cave to the manor. Emerging through one of the hidden doors in one of the many sitting rooms in the manor (why Bruce had so many was beyond her), Raven towards the library. After the morning briefing, she didn’t feel particularly hungry for breakfast anymore. She hoped Alfred would understand.

Picking up some of the books she and Tim had been reading over the last few days, she slipped into the deeper corners of the library away from their usual reading space and settled into one of the reading corners at the back of the library. She needed some secluded alone time for herself. Settling into the plush reading chair, Raven pulled her feet under her and comfortably leaned back. Exhaling softly, she tried to release the tension that had settled around her shoulders.

Cracking open the book she had been reading, Raven tried to focus on the text in front of her. However, after rereading the same paragraph five times and still not understanding a single word from the passage, she closed it with a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes. Her head thrummed softly, a whisper of a headache crawling under her skull.

Raven was fairly certain that they’d be able to see this little ragtag church of her father’s at work tonight. From what they gathered so far, they stood a fairly good chance to put an end to this circus by tonight. A few words from the text swam in front of her eyes, _sacrifice, death, gem, _and she knew that there was absolutely no need for her to read anything more about the Church of Trigon – she already knew everything there was.

Folding her legs into a lotus position and placing the book into her lap, Raven’s fingers curled absently into the old tome. The edged of the book bit into her fingers, grounding her. Her mind reeled briefly as hot, stifling fire consumed her thoughts. Somewhere in the distance she could hear the chanting, _Scath, Scath, Scath, _and a distant strangled cry. She felt the sickeningly familiar text of Scath dance across her skin and singe her flesh. The curved script pressed into her arms and legs, and slowly burned her torso. Her lungs burned from the heat of fire all but consuming her –

“_We need the gem.”_

Raven inhaled sharply, allowing cool air to fill her parched lungs, and she quickly opened her eyes, eyeing her surroundings wildly for a brief second. She pushed the tome out of her lap involuntarily and sunk heavily into the plush cushions to calm herself down. A wave of irritation hit her as she thought of how easily the church got under her skin. She should have a better handle over the situation.

Closing her eyes and seeing the fire burn at the back of her eyelids, Raven sore she was going to _burn the church to the ground tonight. _

Getting into a comfortable lotus position, Raven exhaled softly and slipped into her meditative trance. This should help her ground herself and prepare her for later tonight.

She’ll be fucking damned before Lilith would get the best of her.

“Raven?”

Purple eyes snapped open sharply and quickly focused on Tim as he stood at a safe distance away from her. Feeling like the last dredges of Nevermore slip away from her consciousness, Raven blinked at Tim, who looked like he came fresh from work as he was still dressed in a business suit. _How long had she been meditating?_

“Alfred says you haven’t had breakfast or lunch,” Tim crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her curiously. “It’s past three in the afternoon,”

“Oh,” Raven breathed softly and unfolded her legs under her. Her leg muscles tingled from being kept in the same position for so long. “I didn’t notice the time,”

Tim tilted his head and watched Raven arrange some of the books in front of her on the table. “Alfred wasn’t sure if he could interrupt you for lunch,”

“Hmm,” Raven hummed softly. She threw him an amused look. “And you could?”

Tim chuckled softly and uncrossed his arms, visibly relaxing. “Well, I can dodge whatever attack you might throw at me a lot faster than Alf,”

Raven eyed Tim in his suit skeptically. It was ridiculous had good he looked in a suit – how come he did not walk around in a suit more often like Bruce did? Seriously. Bruce Wayne’s adult children could fit into a Men’s Health magazine easily – they probably did at one point. “I’m not sure you can in that suit,” she teased.

Tim snorted ungracefully, putting his public image as CEO of Wayne Enterprises to shame. He watched her stand up from the couch and pick up a book from the floor. “You’d be surprised what I can do in this suit,” he said playfully and threw her a grin. Raven released a small bark of laughter and Tim blinked as his brain finally caught up with him. “Okay, that sounded wrong.”

Raven hummed softly, trying to hide her smile as she gathered the books she had been trying to read earlier. Moving around the table with the books in hand, she joined Tim by the end of the bookcase aisle. “I’m a bit hungry. Do you think Alfred would mind if we get something to eat now before dinner?” she asked.

They began walking through the old bookshelves filled with old books. “He asked me to get you to eat something. I want you to eat something,” Tim told her. He shot her a concerned look when she did not respond. “Is everything okay?”

Raven stopped and looked at him curiously. “Everything is okay.”

Tim crossed his arms and stood in front of her, looking down at her with a calculating eye. “You missed breakfast and lunch. You at the very least would have had some tea. You’d rather not make Alfred worry by missing his meals. You walked off right after our morning briefing. And you ignored the messages I sent you today,” He raised an eyebrow at her and titled his head just a fraction of an inch. “Shall I continue?”

“Stalker much?” Raven pressed the books against her chest and raised her eyebrow in challenge.

Tim shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. “I’m a keen observer.”

Raven rolled her eyes playfully at him. When she saw that Tim’s gaze was unrelenting and he was expecting an answer from her, she sighed softly. “Look, it’s nothing. This whole case has been getting under my skin and it’s just frustrating me,” she replied. She looked away from Tim and purposefully stared at some of the old books a couple of rows down as she felt her skin crawl unconsciously. “I thought I was done dealing with my father and his henchmen. The idea of someone else trying to do what Brother Blood did just throws me off. I told you last night, it just gives me bad memories,”

Tim’s drawn eyebrows relaxed and he looked at her with concern. “Hey,” he said and gently placed his right hand on her tense shoulder. “We’ll get this done tonight, no more Church of Trigon and no more crazy followers trying to summon inter-dimensional demons. We’ll get this done for your mother, I promise,”

Raven looked up at Tim and felt his warm emotions brush against her. She sighed softly and relaxed her shoulders. He was right, they would get everything in order tonight and this would be all over. She threw him a small smile. “Thanks,”

“Excellent,” Tim beamed and he took a small step towards her. “I for one want this over and done with so I can take you out on a date after this. You’ll go on a date with me, right?” 

Tim knew that whatever was going on between him and Raven was still pretty new. And while he knew that Dick was going to beat his ass for starting a relationship with one of his teammates (because getting this close to each other was definitely not part of the mission plans), Tim absolutely knew that he wanted to spend more time with Raven, even if it meant if he had to spend time in Jump once in a while. He could at least take her one date in Gotham before she had to go back to Jump – and then they’d have to figure something out from there. Would she even –

“You think way too loudly, Tim,” Raven raised an amused eyebrow at him. The corner of her lips raised lightly in amusement.

“Oh,” Tim released a breathy chuckle, embarrassed. Of course, _Raven was an empath_. He chuckled sheepishly and absently ran a hand through his long hair.

“I’m a boring date,” Raven said, tilting her head just a little bit at him. She felt the familiar press of his emotions against her and she silently sought more of it.

Catching her teasing tone and easily feeling the atmosphere shift around them, Tim laughed softly and crowded her personal space. Dropping his gaze to her lips, he ducked his head just a little bit to level her gaze and he watched in satisfaction as her eyes widened a fraction of an inch and her breath caught in her throat. Gently cupping her jaw, he drew her closer and he smiled.

“You’re anything but boring, Raven,” Tim whispered softly to her.

Raven felt that familiar, satisfying purr of emotions inside of her as Tim’s warm emotions practically wrapped themselves around her. Her eyelids dropped softly and she watched as Tim hovered so close to her. “Oh?”

As Tim crowded her space, Raven felt herself get drugged by the delicious press of their emotions. The familiar smell of sandalwood overwhelmed her senses and Raven felt the all too familiar press of lips against her own. Humming softly in satisfaction, she gently leaned into the kiss, silently asking for more. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind Raven wasn’t sure how she’d ever be able to explain to Dick, her team leader who had 100% faith in her that she would not fuck this mission up, that she had somehow completed the mission he had asked her to work on and come back with a potential relationship with his brother. She wasn’t sure if she was overachieving or asking for trouble. She faintly wondered what Batman would think.

But that, like her earlier worries over Lilith and her father’s church, did not seem to matter right now as Tim continued to kiss her. Raven felt the gentle swipe of his thumb against her cheek as he titled her chin to get better access. The kiss was gentle and needy, nothing like this morning’s hot and frenzied kisses. Theses kisses warmed her body and had her seeking for more.

Tim gently pulled back and inhaled softly, relishing her tantalizing scent of lavender. Staying within her personal space, he stroked her cheek once more and smiled as he watched her hooded eyes look up at him. “So?” he whispered gently. “Is that a yes?”

Raven blinked through the haze and gave Tim a confused look, which he thought looked cute. “Hmm?”

Tim chuckled and offered her a smile. “A date. Tomorrow?” Grinning triumphantly, he tucked a few stray strands of purple hair behind her ear and pulled away fully. “I take that as a yes?”

Taking in the twinkle in his blue eyes, Raven teasingly quirked the corner of her lips up at Tim. “Careful, you’re getting cocky,” she teased and slipped out of his arms. Side stepping him, she threw a small smile at him over her shoulder. “Will you wear a suit again?”

Tim’s eyes widened in amusement as he watched her walk towards their reading table and drop off the books she was carrying. Tim was sure he was imagining the light sway of her hips as she walked towards the table. He grinned brightly at her as they resumed walking out of the library. Giving her a sly grin, he leaned into her just as they were about to exit the library. “So you like the suit?” his voice held a playful tone in it.

Raven snorted and nudged him away with her shoulder. “It looks nice,”

Tim threw her another teasing grin. “You said I looked nice, I’ll remember this,” he said with a lilt in his voice.

Raven rolled her eyes at Tim in mock annoyance but secretly enjoyed the attention. “I said the suit looks nice,” she replied as they entered the kitchen. “Don’t put words into my mouth,”

“That’s what she said,” Tim grinned.

Raven narrowed her eyes at Tim in warning as they caught sight of Alfred standing dutifully over two steaming mugs and a plate of, in Raven’s opinion, the most beautiful sandwiches she had ever seen. Cyborg would be jealous. Stopping by the kitchen island, she offered Alfred a small smile.

“Miss Raven, you missed breakfast and lunch. I am glad that Master Tim was able to convince you to finally have something to eat,” Alfred sent her a stern look as he watched the two settle by the kitchen island.

Raven offered Alfred an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Alfred. I must have lost track of time,”

Alfred looked unimpressed, obviously having heard the same excuse throughout his lifetime at the Wane Manor. “I’ve prepared some light sandwiches for you, these should tide you over until dinner before you all head out. This family has a tendency to forget the essentials of partaking in meals on time before breaking up deadly crime rings,” blinking at the pair once, Alfred continued. “I expect you all for dinner later before you decide to put an end to a church that summons inter-dimensional demons. It’s a terrible idea to go out on missions on an empty stomach,”

Not waiting for their reply, Alfred stepped away from the kitchen island. After brushing off some imaginary lint from his right sleeve of his suit, he straightened and cast them a long look. “Now if you will excuse me, I will tend to our garden before starting dinner,”

Raven watched Alfred step out of the kitchen before staring at Tim with a surprised look. She watched Tim take one of the beautiful cucumber sandwiches. “Is he always like that?” she asked while watching him take a bit out of a sandwich. “That’s mine,”

“Since I was a teenager,” Tim shrugged and gave her an amused smile, completely ignoring her and picked another small sandwich. “He’s made it a mission to get Bruce and everyone else to eat on time,”

Raven plucked one of the cucumber sandwiches from the tray and took a bite. Her stomach churned painfully after finally getting something into it. She forgot how hungry she really was.

“Where’s Bruce?” she asked Tim, giving him a curious glance. She took a sip of Alfred’s special English tea which Raven had come to enjoy over the past few weeks. She faintly wondered if Alfred would be kind enough to share the recipe with her.

Tim nursed his cup of coffee and picked up another small sandwich from the platter. “Wrapping things up at the office. Our board meeting lasted a bit longer than we planned, I left as soon as I could,” he answered.

“The Wayne’s certainly keep a very interesting social calendar,” commented Raven.

Tim snorted and threw her a wry grin. “You should see us during budget season,”

Raven looked at Tim in amusement before finishing up her sandwich. “I can’t imagine what it’s like juggling crime fighting and managing a multi-million-dollar business,” she said.

Tim hummed loudly into his coffee mug as he finished the last of his coffee. Placing the mug on the kitchen island, he shrugged absently. Balancing his day job and their nightly activities was pretty tiring, especially when reporting to the office after a particularly bloody night out. After years of working with Bruce, both as Red Robin and as Senior Management at WE, Tim had gotten a handle of managing the demands of both jobs. Though, he’d love to get a day (or maybe a week) off. _Perhaps Raven would be interested in going on vacation with him? Europe, maybe? _He mentally shook his head; he was getting way ahead of himself.

“Scheduling can get a bit messy,” joked Tim. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the curious Raven. “Bruce was able to do it for years. When I joined, I guess I just got engrossed into everything and I haven’t slept since,”

Raven raised an eyebrow at him. “That can’t be healthy,”

Tim laughed and nudged his empty coffee mug away with his fingers. It slid across granite countertop. “Tell that to my obsessive work ethic,”

Pushing her chair back and standing up, Raven eyed him curiously. “Well then, I guess your obsessive work ethic won’t mind we go through tonight’s plans one more time?” she asked.

Chuckling, Tim followed her suit and they made their way out of the kitchen. “I was hoping you’d say that,”

Throwing a teasing look over her shoulder as they approached the old grandfather clock in the living room, one of the many hidden entrances to the cave, Raven’s purple eyes danced. “You sure?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. She felt the curious press of Tim’s emotions against her. “And it’s not me hoping your obsessive work ethic won’t mind a day off tomorrow for a date?”

Reaching over her shoulder to type in the code into the hidden panel of the grandfather clock, Tim threw her a wide smile. He got a soft whiff of her lavender shampoo, and Tim was sure that he could get used to the warm scent around him. “So that’s a yes to tomorrow?”

The door to the cave opened with a soft swish. The noise barely covered Raven’s chuckle. “Let’s put an end to my father’s church, and then we can talk about tomorrow,”

“Gladly,”

~

The evening was muggy and warm as Raven stood hidden in the shadows of one of the warehouses. As a soft breeze hit her, she could smell the impending rain. She just hoped it wouldn’t rain while they were taking down Lilith and the church, it was always such a bother to fight in the rain. Purple eyes scanned their marked warehouse in front of her, trying to catch any movement. Batman and Red Robin were on their way with the Batmobile and Tim’s motorcycle.

Raven watched the trees by the forest rustle as another silent breeze swept past. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she considered how things may turn out tonight.

“_We need the gem.”_

Raven released a shuddering breath as the whispers of her dreams brushed against her mind. She had bad feeling about tonight.

She felt Batman and Red Robin approach her position and she looked over her shoulder to see both men jump onto the roof silently from out of nowhere. It always amazed her how for humans, Batman and his team moved with such graceful stealth.

“Anything?” Batman asked when they joined her at the edge of the roof.

“I don’t sense anyone inside right now,” Raven answered, her purple eyes glowing faintly as she stared at the old warehouse in front of them.

“Entrance is northwest of the warehouse. We can go in now,” Red Robin tapped a few buttons on his computer on his arm. Closing the program, he dropped his arm and looked at his companions. “Shall we?”

Raven nodded and they sprang into action, silently taking off from their hiding place on the rooftop and jumping onto the roof of the old warehouse they’ve been staking out. Flying over to the forest side of the warehouse, Raven spotted the windows Tim briefed them on and slipped through the broken window. Batman and Red Robin easily followed her.

From their vantage point on the second floor landing, the warehouse was bare save for some old wooden crates lined up in the far corner. It was dark, except for the yellow light of the lamppost that streamed through the broken windows. Raven scanned the empty warehouse warily, drawing her body into her cloak involuntarily as the silence settled around her uneasily. It smelled musty and the whole warehouse creaked softly in the soft summer evening wind.

She eyed the rusty warehouse doors up ahead of her. She faintly wondered if her mother passed through these doors years ago?

“Here,”

Tim’s voice was soft in the night and Raven turned around, surprised that Batman and Red Robin had slipped down the landing and were crowded over a trap door hidden behind a few crates.

Flying down the landing silently, Raven joined the two men. Red Robin pulled open the trap door and the smell of incense overwhelmed her senses. The uneasy feeling in her stomach churned angrily. Quickly exchanging looks with Batman and Red Robin, she nodded and instantly released her soul self, wrapping the three of them in the dark matter. This would allow some form of protection over them while they slipped through the cavern.

Quietly walking down the stairs of the trap door, Raven kept her eyes trained in front of her. The cavern was empty and sparsely lit by torches that licked the stone walls. She could hear nothing except her own breathing. How could the GCP have missed this place when they first took down Brother Blood?

After a few more minutes of walking and taking turns through the cavern, they eventually found a door up ahead. Light streamed through the cracks of the door. As they approached, Raven quickly cast a glance over her shoulder and caught Batman and Red Robin’s eyes. Nodding silently, she turned back to the door and briefly touched the basic steel door. No one seemed to be behind it.

Gingerly touching the door, Raven took a surprised step back as it slid open with a soft hiss under her fingers. The heady smell of incense assaulted her senses once more as they stepped into the large, warmly lit hall.

The hall was built like a church, several pews lined up and facing a white, marble altar. They tentatively entered the hall, their bodies tense and alert for any movements. Torches lined the stone walls that emanated an ominous glow over the church. Dark wooden beams ran over the walls and arched under the ceiling. Dark red markings ran along the cobblestone floor that lead towards the altar. Above the altar, the mark of Scath was etched into the wall. It glowed darkly down on them as they cautiously approached the large altar.

“Well, shit,” Red Robin breathed next to her.

Raven felt her insides freeze and she drew herself deeper into her cloak as her emotions bubbled under her skin. There, in the middle of the white marble altar, stood a little white picture frame and a bronze dagger next to it.

Staring up at them from the picture frame was a picture of Raven.


End file.
